Rationale
Physicians are crucial participants in the control of disease outbreaks. They must be able to identify and diagnose cases, recognize when an outbreak is occurring, and report it to public health authorities, working with them to limit the spread and duration of the outbreak. Common examples include assisting in the control of an influenza outbreak in a long-term care facility or a measles outbreak in the community.
Key Objectives
- The candidate will define characteristics of an outbreak and know how to recognize one when it occurs
- The candidate will demonstrate essential skills involved in controlling an outbreak and its impact on the public, working with public health authorities as appropriate
Enabling Objectives
- Define an outbreak as an excess of cases over what is normally expected
- Describe and understand the main steps in outbreak prevention and management
- Demonstrate skills in effective outbreak management, including implementing environmental control measures when the outbreak is due to an infectious agent
- Describe infection control practices, including immunoprophylaxis and chemoprophylaxis, and justify which are most appropriate for different outbreak conditions
- Demonstrate effective communication skills with patients and the community as a whole
- Describe appropriate approaches to prevent or reduce the risk of the outbreak recurring, including isolation and quarantine measures.