Assessing the health of a community or population requires a different skill set than assessing individual patients. Individual patients are assessed using direct observation during the process of identifying their condition, needs, abilities, and preferences. The health of populations is assessed using data analytics that aggregate findings based on a predefined geographic area or a common characteristic. For example, a population can include the people in an entire county, state, or nation. Additionally, a population can include the people in a hospital unit or community or any other group of individuals who have shared characteristics (e.g., older women or those who attend a common event at the same place and time). A disease investigator or advanced practice nurse defines the population of interest, which may change as the investigation progresses. Defining the population is extremely important as it is essential to describe the outbreak in terms of person, place, and time (PPT).
For this task, you will create a professional multimedia presentation. This presentation will be based on your analysis of an investigation conducted in the outbreak scenario. See the “Crab Apple Valley Communicable Outbreak Simulation” in the Web Link section. It is recommended that you complete your review of this outbreak before you begin your presentation since all the information in your presentation will come from this case scenario.
You will present the methods, processes, and results of your investigation of the outbreak that are essential to controlling the spread of this disease and preventing future outbreaks. Additionally, you will present information on the guiding principles that form the basis for investigating and managing infectious disease outbreaks.
