Introduction to Healthcare and Public Health in the US: Public Health, Part 1
Self Assessment key
1. Which of the following would NOT be considered a characteristic of public health?
a. Focused on health of populations
b. Involves monitoring and surveillance
*c. Action usually taken after illness/injury occurs
d. Includes policy and education
Answer: c. Private health, not public health, is characterized by action taken after illness or injury occurs.
Objective(s): 1
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): a3
2. Which of the following could be considered landmark events in US public health history?
a. Opening of the first US school of public health in 1893
b. Establishment of the Communicable Disease Center in 1946
c. Establishment of a federal network of hospitals for ill/disabled merchant seamen in 1798
*d. All of the above
Answer: d. All of these events were landmark occurrences in US public health.
Objective(s): 2
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): a5, 6, 8
3. Which of the following was NOT part of the transfer of some aspects of public health to the national level?
a. National Quarantine Act of 1878
b. Assignment of medical examination of immigrants to the Marine Hospital Service, 1891
c. Assumption of foreign quarantine functions by CDC in 1967
*d. Smallpox vaccination technique introduced into US, 1800
Answer: d. All of the other choices are part of the movement of some functions to the federal level.
Objective(s): 4
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): a6, 10
4. Which of the following terms is NOT correctly matched with its definition?
a. Pandemic – an extensive epidemic
b. Risk – odds of an event occurring
*c. Intervention – number of new events/cases in a population
d. Endemic – disease native to an area or population
Answer: c. Intervention is an action/program meant to benefit the health of a population.
Objective(s): 3
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): b3
5. Which of the following statements about public health reporting is NOT true:
a. States mandate the diseases/conditions that are reportable within their jurisdiction
*b. Nationally Notifiable Diseases (NND) are decided upon by CDC and the states must comply
c. Disease reporting responsibilities may be assigned to laboratories, health care providers, and veterinarians
d. States report de-identified disease data to CDC for purposes of collection and publication
Answer: b. The NND are determined collaboratively by states and CDC, they are not imposed by CDC upon the states.
Objective(s): 1
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): b8
6. Public health in the US has been so successful in combating infectious diseases, that in 2007 only how many of the top ten causes of mortality were NOT either chronic disease- or injury-related?
a. 0
*b. 2
c. 4
d. 6
Answer: b. Only two of the top ten causes are not chronic disease or injury-related.
Objective(s): 5
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): c8
7. Worldwide eradication of smallpox – one of public health’s biggest triumphs – occurred in which year?
a. 1957
b .1967
*c. 1977
d. 1987
Answer: c. Smallpox was eradicated in 1977.
Objective(s): 2
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): c7
8. The data that states send to CDC contains patient identifiers (true/false)
a. True
*b. False
Answer: b. False. Data sent to CDC are de-identified.
Objective(s): 4
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): b10
9. In general, there are three levels of public health – local, state, and federal
*a. True
b. False
Answer: a. True.
Objective(s): 4
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): b6
10. The increase in average life expectancy in the US since 1900 – about 30 years – is primarily due to public health initiatives
*a. True
b. False
Answer: a. True. 25 of the 30 years increase are due to public health.
Objective(s): 5
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): c7
Health IT Workforce Curriculum Introduction to Healthcare and Public Health in the US 1
Version 3.0 / Spring 2012 Introduction and History of Modern Healthcare in the US
This material (Comp1_Unit7) was developed by Oregon Health and Science University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number IU24OC000015.