Oral

This interesting session will focus on epidemiologic methods. Presentations will include a discussion of approaches for addressing challenges related to multi-site epidemiologic studies among diverse populations, GIS tools in population-based epidemiologic research, epidemiologic challenges in studying a post-disaster population, and exploring the range of bias due to a common cause for mediator and outcome variables. One session will focus on the effect of different definitions of numerators and denominators to estimate the incidence rates of diarrhea and upper respiratory tract infections in day-care centers.

Session Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) will be able to: 1. Describe approaches for meeting the challenges of multi-center studies in diverse populations 2. Learn about Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools that can be used in epidemiological research 3. Construct a design to preserve validity of an epidemiologic study within time and financial constraints in a post-disaster situation 4. Articulate the need for developing a more standard approach to the measurement and reporting of incidence rates in epidemiological studies 5. Evaluate the degree to which these threats bias inference regarding mediation, based on results of simulations

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing