Mini course · Foundation level
Epidemiology Basics for Healthcare Workers
Understand how diseases spread and how to read the numbers behind outbreaks, trends and public health decisions.
What is Epidemiology Basics for Healthcare Workers?
Epidemiology is the study of how diseases and health outcomes are distributed in populations and what causes them. It underpins infection prevention, public health decisions and the research healthcare professionals read every day. This course covers measures of disease frequency such as incidence and prevalence, rates and ratios, study designs, surveillance, outbreak basics, and common errors such as bias and confounding.
- Duration
- 1.5 hours
- Lessons
- 5
- Level
- Foundation
- Format
- Online, self-paced
What you'll be able to do
- Distinguish incidence from prevalence and calculate each
- Calculate and interpret rates, ratios and proportions
- Describe the main epidemiological study designs
- Explain how surveillance systems detect changes in disease patterns
- Outline the basic steps of an outbreak investigation
- Recognise bias and confounding in a described study
Who this course is for
Course content
5 lessons · 1.5 hours total · free preview available
1What Epidemiology Does
16 minFree preview· Course content
What Epidemiology Does
Person, place and time.
2Measuring Disease
20 min· Course content
Measuring Disease
Available after you enroll.
3Study Designs
18 min· Course content
Study Designs
Available after you enroll.
4Surveillance and Outbreaks
18 min· Course content
Surveillance and Outbreaks
Available after you enroll.
5Bias and Confounding
18 min· Course content
Bias and Confounding
Available after you enroll.
Earn a credential employers can check
Every AIHCM credential has a unique ID that anyone can verify online in seconds.
Issued: on completion
How it works
- Finish all 5 lessons at your own pace.
- Get your digital credential with a unique ID.
- Share it — employers can verify it at aihcm.us.
Questions people ask
Do I need maths skills?
Basic arithmetic is enough. All formulas are explained.
Is it useful for infection prevention staff?
Yes. Rates and surveillance are core infection prevention skills.
Is it suitable for students?
Yes. It is written as an accessible introduction.
What should I take next?
Outbreak Investigation Basics or Public Health Fundamentals.