This interactive, self-study course designed for local and state health department staff will provide training on the data analysis portion of an event-based enteric disease outbreak investigation. The modules will cover foundations of creating line lists, epidemic curves, case definitions, and performing data analysis for a cohort study. Modules can also be used for just-in time-trainings during outbreak investigations.
Learning Objectives/Goals
- Create a line list with relevant variables for an outbreak investigation
- Use a line list to create a well-defined case definition for an outbreak investigation, demonstrating best practices of incorporating person, place, time, and clinical features
- Apply a case definition to records in a line list to determine who are potential cases and non-cases
- Create an epidemic curve in excel using data from a line list
- Use an epidemic curve to determine mode(s) of transmission and when an outbreak may be over
- Calculate the measure of association Interpret data analysis findings
Time Commitment
Approximately 3 hours to complete. Modules can be used separately for just-in-time training.
Recommended Audience
This case study is designed for outbreak team members from state and local public health agencies, including:
- Environmental Health (EH) staff
- Communicable Disease (CD) staff
- Members of epidemiology units
- Any staff involved in outbreak investigations
Developed for diverse team structures (where EH, CD, or separate epidemiology units may lead analyses), this training ensures all team members understand line lists, case definitions, epidemic curves, study types, and outbreak analysis. It’s especially valuable for health departments that handle outbreaks infrequently and need refresher resources or just-in-time training.