- To acquire knowledge about: sources and methods for data collection, epidemiological methods for data analysis and interpretation, causes of disability and death, health and lifestyle risk factors, environmental health determinants and risk factors, methodologies for the prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
- To acquire knowledge on health promotion and disease prevention.
- To evaluate epidemiological data and know their use for health promotion and disease prevention in individuals and in the community, to collaborate with territorial health services in epidemiological surveillance and health promotion and disease prevention programs, recognize community health problems and work in team to solve them, to identify and control causes and risk factors of disease associated with behaviors and environment, provide evidence-based information on health determinants associated with lifestyle and with physical and social environment factors.
- Know the health organization at international, European and national level.
- Know managerial skills and activities.
- Know the principles and applications of health economics for health planning.
The aim of the course is to provide information and knowledge about workplace-related pathologies (accidents and illnesses) as well as to become familiar with prevention principles, with particular reference to risk assessment and preventive measure adoption.
Students will have to learn methods and techniques to collect work history, identify environmental and occupational risks and possible relationships with genetic, demographic, socio-economic, psychological and cultural factors, related to health or illness statuses, as well as to look into the possible non-specific effects of occupational risk factors, especially for degenerative chronic diseases.
The main etiologically diagnostic aspects of occupational medicine will be dealt with, and so will the epidemiology of con-causally work-related diseases. Also, the most frequent professional diseases and work accidents will be classified. The main analysis method and work risk assessment instruments will be provided, that is limit exposure levels, environmental/biological monitoring and healthcare surveillance. Also, occupational risk in/formation, safety and health law guidelines in work places, primary and secondary prevention of occupational diseases, role and duties of the competent physician will be discussed.
The course includes lectures in which continuous interaction with the students is encouraged, and exercises in the classroom to develop the ability to apply the knowledge.
acquired during the course.
Should teaching be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the syllabus.
Learning assessment may also be carried out on line, should the conditions require it.
Frontal lesson.
Principles of demography and health statistics. Sources of demographics and health data. Demographic indicators. Mortality and morbidity indicators. Quality of life indicators. Principles of epidemiological methodology. Epidemiological measures. Epidemiological studies: descriptive epidemiology; analytical epidemiology; experimental epidemiology. Causal relationship in epidemiology. Risk assessment. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Evidence-based Medicine. Principles of epidemiology of communicable diseases. Mode of transmission. General principles of epidemiology of non-communicable diseases and disabilities. Risk factors and protective factors. Causes and physical and social environmental factors. Lifestyles and health. Frequency of communicable diseases. Methodology for prevention and health promotion. Objectives and methods of prevention (primary, secondary and tertiary prevention). The prevention of infectious diseases. Active and passive immunoprophylaxis. Chemoprophylaxis. Secondary prevention of infections. Prevention of chronic degenerative diseases and disabilities. Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Principles of health education. Health promotion. Health communication. Health Promotion Strategies. Health promotion in the Ottawa charter. Epidemiology and prevention of communicable diseases. European Surveillance Systems. ECDC (European Center for Disease Prevention and Control) networks and activities. Epidemiology and prevention of respiratory tract infections; Epidemiology and prevention of parenteral or sexual-transmitted infections; Epidemiology and prevention of food- and waterborne diseases and zoonoses; Epidemiology and prevention of enteric infections; Epidemiology and prevention of emerging and vector-borne diseases; Epidemiology and prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases; Epidemiology and prevention of hospital acquired infections; Epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular diseases; Epidemiology and prevention of diabetes mellitus and obesity; Epidemiology and prevention of cancer; Pre- and periconceptional epidemiology. Public Health Genomics. Health needs in childhood. Health needs in adulthood. Health promotion in the elderly. Food and nutrition hygiene. Microbial contamination. Environment and health. Environmental factors, health and disease. Environmental pollution and health. Water and health. Waste management and health. Health economics and health organization. Principles of health economics. The national health service in Italy. The National Health Plan and the Regional health Plans. Health management.
History and evolution of Occupational Medicine: prevention service legislation and organization; work accidents and professional diseases insurance practices. Risk assessment procedure; exposure times and limit levels/values.
Primary and secondary prevention principles. Healthcare surveillance and duties of competent physician. Biological monitoring procedures. General and individual preventive practices and first aid action organization. Biological risk and vaccinations. Physical risks: noise, vibrations, ionizing-non-ionizing radiations, microclimate and compressed atmosphere. Ergonomy principles: postures and work. Workstation, shift and night work risks. Assessment of risks in manual loads handling and in repetitive movements of upper limbs with associated pathologies. Organizational wellness and its associated work stress. Health promotion in working places.
Main dust/fibre and professional allergene exposure–related pathologies; indoor and outdoor pollutants. Exposure risks to chemical, mutagen and carcenogenic agents.
Principles of Industrial Hygiene and hints of Statistics. Risks in the main working cycles. Guidelines on safety and health in working places.
1) Barbuti S., Fara G.M., Giammanco G. – Igiene, medicina di comunità e sanità pubblica.
Edizione EDISES 2014
2) Gilli G. Professione igienista Manuale dell'igiene ambientale e territoriale. Casa Editrice
Ambrosiana
3) Vitale F, Zagra M. Igiene, epidemiologia e organizzazione sanitaria orientate per problemi.
Editore: Elsevier - Masson
4) Faggiano F, Donato F, Barbone F. Manuale di Epidemiologia per la Sanità Pubblica. Centro
Scientifico Editore