Fundamentals

In this chapter, the author defines and provides examples of several key terms used in public health and healthcare modeling research. The chapter begins by clarifying the differences between key terms used to describe rates of disease (incidence, prevalence, and mortality) as well as the performance characteristics of tests used to detect disease (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value), prevent or treat disease (odds ratios, relative risks), understand studies (case-control, cohort, and randomized controlled trials), and avoid common study problems (bias, confounding). Understanding these key terms and how they are used in research studies allows the reader to correctly interpret study results.