DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Bachelor's Degree in Occupational therapy
Academic Year 2018/2019 - 1° Year

FISICA MEDICA E STATISTICA MEDICA

Teaching Staff

Learning Objectives

• Physics
  

  The course aims to provide basic knowledge to understand physical concepts and methods currently applied to medicine. In particular, the student will be acquainted about some basic physical laws, useful to understand the physiological processes and will learn basic concepts useful in the proper use of the equipment used at work. As prerequisite a basic knowledge of classical physics, algebra, Euclidean geometry and trigonometry are required.

• Medical Statistics
  

  The course will provide basic elements to let the student be able to describe individual and population based biological events through syntetic indeces. Moreover, the student should be able to identify and use elementary metodologies of analysis of numerical data.

Course Structure

• Physics
  

  Lectures with the use of specific slides to facilitate the understanding of the topics

• Medical Statistics
  

  Classroom lecturers using blackboard and tracing papers

Detailed Course Content

• Physics
  

  Physical quantities and their measurement - Physical quantities, units and systems of measurement, dimensional analysis. Measurements and uncertainties. Characteristics of measuring Instruments. Analytical and graphical representations. Scalar and vector quantities.

  Elements of mechanics and concepts of Biomechanics - Kinematics. Circular and harmonic motion. Momentum. Principles of dynamics. Work. Energy. Power and efficiency. Statics. Elasticity. Physiological statics. Essential of bone fractures.

  Basics of fluids and applications in biological systems – Density. Viscosity. Hydrostatic pressure. Fluid statics. Stevin’s law. Pascal’s principle. Archimede’s principle. Drip feed. Transfusion. Blood sample. Drainage. Dynamics of ideal fluids. Bernoulli's theorem. Aneurysm and stenosis. Real liquids. Poiseuille’s law. Hydraulic resistance and Reynold’s number. Sphygmomanometry.

  Temperature measurement and thermoregulation – Temperature and heat. Temperature metrology. Temperature scales. Clinical thermometers. Heat capacity and Specific Heat. Thermal equilibrium. Change of phase and latent heat. Heat transfer mechanisms. Basal metabolic power.

  Electrical and bioelectrical phenomena – Electrical charges and fields. Capacitors. Electrical current. Ohm's law. Elementary circuits. Joule effect. RC circuits. Pacemaker and defibrillator. Risks related to the use of electricity.

  Waves and radiations. – Wave phenomena. Period and frequency. Amplitude and energy. Mechanical waves. Sound. Decibel. Phonendoscope. Ultrasonic waves. Electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic spectrum. Eye and vision. Radiation for diagnostics and therapy. X ray imaging. Radioisotopes and nuclear medicine. Radiotherapy. Biological effects of ionizing radiation. Introduction to radiation protection dosimetry.

• Medical Statistics
  

  1. Measurers: numerical, ordinal and nominal

  2. Descriptive measurers: central tendency and variability

  3. Probability and Bayes Theorem

  4. Probability distributions: binomial, Poisson and gaussian

  5. Hypothesis tests and their meaning

  6. Epidemiology: sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, incidence and prevalence rates

Textbook Information

• Physics
  

  D. Scannicchio - Fisica Biomedica - EdiSES, Napoli 2013

• Medical Statistics
  

  J. Fowler, P. Jarvis, M. Chevannes "Statistica per le professioni sanitarie" Ed. EdiSES

  Other elementary statistic texbooks