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Epidemiology for Policy and Programme Management

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The Palgrave Handbook of Global Health Data Methods for Policy and Practice

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Abstract

Lansang, Dennis, Volmink and Macfarlane introduce the reader to the value of epidemiology in providing evidence for health-care policy and practice. They provide an overview of epidemiological principles and methods, and offer some practical considerations in designing some major types of study. They emphasize the importance of asking the right research question, choosing the most appropriate study design and sample size, avoiding bias, presenting results with measures of uncertainty, and critically appraising and sharing findings with caution. Drawing on case studies from around the world, the authors provide guidance for decision-makers about the relevance of epidemiology to their work and about how to assess the appropriateness of evidence for improved policy formulation and implementation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines

    Mary Ann Lansang

  2. Research Department, Fundación Cardioinfantil, Instituto de Cardiología, Bogotá, Colombia

    Rodolfo J. Dennis

  3. Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia

    Rodolfo J. Dennis

  4. Centre for Evidence-based Health Care, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

    Jimmy Volmink

  5. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, and Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Sarah B. Macfarlane

Authors
  1. Mary Ann Lansang
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  2. Rodolfo J. Dennis
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  3. Jimmy Volmink
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  4. Sarah B. Macfarlane
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary Ann Lansang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics School of Medicine, and Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Sarah B. Macfarlane

  2. CAZ Consulting Sarl, Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland

    Carla AbouZahr

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Lansang, M.A., Dennis, R.J., Volmink, J., Macfarlane, S.B. (2019). Epidemiology for Policy and Programme Management. In: Macfarlane, S., AbouZahr, C. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Health Data Methods for Policy and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54984-6_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54984-6_18

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-54983-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-54984-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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