Question

1) identify bibliographic databases for locating epidemiological research literature

2) discuss criteria for assessing the quality and utility of epidemiological data

3) discuss the uses, strengths, and weaknesses of various epidemiological data sources

4) locate a given source of data using resources available on the Internet

5) Indicate privacy and confidentiality issues that pertain to this data

6) Identify U.S. government sources of this data (e.g. census, vital statistics, and others)

Answer 1

1, A bibliographic database is a publications records..It will provide an index of journal articles from multiple journals,citations,abstracts,link to the full text..Databases are electronically updated with CD-ROM in online..
Databases-Epidemiology:
   -Pubmed-a service of the national library of medicine,provides access to MEDline citations back to the mid-1960s to present..
-CINA HC plus with full Text-related to nursing and allied health..
-EMBASE: excerpta media database related to strong in international research and drug & disease coverage..
-cochrane library related to clinical treatment decisions..
-Popline is related to family planning,population and reproductive health..
-ToxNET is related to toxicology,hazardous chemicals and biohazards..
-LILACs: comprehensive index of scientific & medical literature
-Trip pro: regarding to high quality research evidence to support clinical practice and care,evidence-based sources,practice guidelines,MedLINE's clinical queries,medical image databases,e-text books and patient information..
2, criteria for assessing the epidemiological data:
   To assess quality of epidemiological study to identify the nature of the population from which it is drawn..Bias,confounding and chance can threaten the quality of an epidemiological study..epidemiology gives information about natural history and causes of diseases can provide more effective treatements and cures.it referred to as "population Medicine" to estimate the individual risk of disease..it provides knowledge and provides the best evidence based patient care..It provides techniques and methodologies from biostatistics,social sciences and clinical medicine such a genetics,toxicology and pathology..this review provides alternative approach will be helpful..
3, this stude useful to generate hypothesis of possible cares and health service planning..
strengths:
-It is cheap and simple to conduct
-Better for rare exposure
-exposure data available at area level..
-differences in exposure bigger than individual level..
-Utilize geographical information systems to examine framework of disease and exposure..
-Promote hypothesis to examine the level..
-can study entire population and greater generalizability..
weaknesses:
-Cases or controls may not be appropriately representative
-difficult to establish the cause and effect..
-Not suitable for rare disease or exposures
-Loss of followup
-It is costly slow to develop
-It is ibefficient if disease is common..
-ethically questionable..