PracticeVideosBlogFlashcardsEspañol
Cheat sheet

CPH Cheat Sheet

Practice QuestionsStudy Guide

Data Analytics and Prevention

23%of exam

BiostatisticsEpidemiologyStudy DesignsSurveillance

Communication

12%of exam

Risk CommunicationHealth LiteracyMessagingChannels

Programs Equity and Engagement

31%of exam

Program PlanningEvaluationHealth EquityCommunity Engagement

Leadership and Management

18%of exam

LeadershipBudgetingGrant ManagementWorkforce

Policy Law and Ethics

16%of exam

Public Health LawEthicsHIPAAPolicy Analysis

Quick Facts

Exam
CPH
Credential
Certified in Public Health
Time
4 hours
Questions
200 (175+25)
Pass
Scaled 500
Org
NBPHE
Blueprint
Aug 1 2024
Recertify
2 years

Study Design Hierarchy

RCT > Cohort > Case-Control > Cross-Sectional

RCT: causationCohort: RRCase-control: ORCross-sectional: prevalence

Incidence vs Prevalence

Incidence

  • New cases
  • Risk over time
  • Cohort measure

Prevalence

  • Existing cases
  • Point snapshot
  • Burden measure

New vs existing

Study Design Picker

  1. Random assignment possible→RCT(Gold standard)
  2. Follow exposed over time→Cohort(Measures RR)
  3. Compare cases vs controls→Case-control(Measures OR)
  4. Snapshot exposure and disease→Cross-sectional(Prevalence)
  5. Group-level data only→Ecological(No individual inference)
  6. Explore perceptions meanings→Qualitative(Non-numerical)
  7. Mix numbers narrative→Mixed methods(Comprehensive)

Biostatistics Basics

Mean
Arithmetic average
Median
Middle sorted value
Mode
Most frequent value
SD
Spread of data
SE
Mean precision
p-value
Prob under null
CI
Range for parameter
Type I
False positive
Type II
False negative
Power
Detect true effect

Outbreak Investigation

Verify Define Count Describe Hypothesize Test

Verify: confirmDefine: case criteriaDescribe: time place personTest: analytic study

OR vs RR

Odds Ratio

  • Case-control studies
  • Odds of exposure
  • Rare disease approx

Relative Risk

  • Cohort studies
  • Risk in exposed
  • Direct risk ratio

Case-control vs cohort

Surveillance Picker

  1. Providers report voluntarily→Passive(Low cost)
  2. Dept actively seeks cases→Active(Outbreak response)
  3. Selected sites track trends→Sentinel(Flu sentinel)
  4. Pre-diagnostic ED data→Syndromic(Early detection)

Study Designs

RCT
Random assignment
Cohort
Follow exposed group
Case-control
Compare past exposure
Cross-sectional
Snapshot exposure and disease
Ecological
Group-level data
Confounding
Third variable distorts
Selection bias
Wrong sample
Info bias
Measurement error

Sensitivity vs Specificity

Sensitivity

  • True positive rate
  • Rules out disease
  • Screening use

Specificity

  • True negative rate
  • Rules in disease
  • Confirmation use

SnNout vs SpPin

Epidemiology Measures

Incidence
New cases per time
Prevalence
All existing cases
Attack rate
Cases among exposed
CFR
Deaths per cases
Mortality
Deaths per population
RR
Risk exposed over unexposed
OR
Odds exposure ratio
Sensitivity
True positive rate
Specificity
True negative rate
PPV
True positive probability
NPV
True negative probability
R0
Average secondary infections

Cohort vs Case-Control

Cohort

  • Start with exposure
  • Follow forward
  • Measures RR

Case-Control

  • Start with disease
  • Look backward
  • Measures OR

Forward vs backward

Surveillance Types

Passive
Voluntary reporting
Active
Dept seeks cases
Sentinel
Selected sites monitor
Syndromic
Pre-diagnostic data
Endemic
Baseline expected level
Epidemic
Exceeds expected baseline
Pandemic
Multi-country spread
Herd immunity
Immune threshold

Type I vs Type II

Type I

  • False positive
  • Reject true null
  • Equals alpha

Type II

  • False negative
  • Keep false null
  • Equals beta

False positive vs negative

Communication Basics

Risk comm
Crisis trust messaging
Health literacy
Understand health info
Plain language
Sixth grade reading
Mass media
Broad reach low control
Interpersonal
Two-way dialogue
Social media
Rapid interactive
Channel match
Fit audience objective
Message framing
Tailor to audience

Evaluation Flow

Formative -> Process -> Outcome -> Impact

Formative: improveProcess: fidelityOutcome: effectsImpact: long-term

Formative vs Summative

Formative

  • During development
  • Improve design
  • Process feedback

Summative

  • After completion
  • Judge worth
  • Inform scale-up

Improve vs judge

Evaluation Type Picker

  1. Improve during design→Formative(Developmental)
  2. Check implementation fidelity→Process(Reach dose)
  3. Measure short-term effects→Outcome(Knowledge change)
  4. Judge overall worth→Summative(Completion)
  5. Long-term population change→Impact(Health status)
  6. Compare cost per outcome→CEA(Cost per QALY)

Program Planning

Needs assessment
Gap identification
Logic model
Inputs to outcomes
SMART
Specific measurable time-bound
Evidence-based
Proven interventions
Formative
During development
Summative
After completion
Process eval
Implementation fidelity
Outcome eval
Effects achieved
Impact eval
Long-term change
CQI
Continuous improvement

SMART Objectives

Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound

Specific: clear targetMeasurable: countableAchievable: feasibleTime-bound: deadline

Health Equity

SDOH
Conditions of living
Equity
Need-based allocation
Equality
Same for all
Disparity
Difference unfair
Inequity
Unfair avoidable difference
Cultural competence
Work across cultures
Environmental justice
Fair env burden
Structural racism
Systemic disadvantage

Collaboration and Partnership

Stakeholder analysis
Interest influence map
Coalition
Shared goal alliance
Community engagement
Participatory involvement
Partnership
Cross-sector collaboration
Systems thinking
Interconnected feedback
Coalition governance
Roles mutual benefit
Trust building
Sustained communication

Leadership and Management

Change mgmt
Managed transition
Workforce dev
Build capacity
Governance
Board oversight
Line-item budget
Spend by category
Program budget
Spend by activity
Grant mgmt
Allowable cost tracking
Cost-benefit
Net dollar value
CEA
Cost per QALY
Strategic planning
Long-term direction
Performance mgmt
Standards feedback

Ethical Principles

Autonomy Beneficence Non-maleficence Justice

Autonomy: self-ruleBeneficence: helpNon-maleficence: no harmJustice: fair

HIPAA vs IRB

HIPAA

  • PHI privacy
  • Covered entities
  • Disclosure rules

IRB

  • Human subjects
  • Research review
  • Consent required

Privacy vs research ethics

Policy Law and Ethics

Autonomy
Self-determination
Beneficence
Act for benefit
Non-maleficence
Do no harm
Justice
Fair distribution
Informed consent
Risks benefits alternatives
IRB
Human subject protection
HIPAA
PHI privacy rule
Quarantine
Restrict exposed
ACA
Insurance marketplace
Medicare
Older adults federal
Medicaid
Low-income state fed
Police power
State health authority

Common Traps

Incidence is not prevalence

Incidence new cases ≠ Prevalence all cases

OR is not RR

OR case-control odds ≠ RR cohort risk

p-value is not truth probability

Reject null if small ≠ Not prob hypothesis true

Screening is not diagnosis

Screen asymptomatic ≠ Diagnose symptomatic

Equity is not equality

Equity need-based ≠ Equality same for all

Significant is not important

Significant statistical ≠ Important clinical impact

Last Minute

  1. 1.10 domains; 8-12% each
  2. 2.200 questions; 4 hours; scaled 500
  3. 3.Incidence = new; prevalence = existing
  4. 4.OR for case-control; RR for cohort
  5. 5.CI excludes null = significant
  6. 6.Type I = false positive
  7. 7.Sensitivity rules out; specificity in
  8. 8.Formative improves; summative judges
  9. 9.HIPAA = privacy; IRB = research
  10. 10.Equity = need-based; equality = same

NBPHE CPH Certified in Public Health

Practice QuestionsStudy GuideCheat SheetFlashcards1 blog

CPHQ Study Guide: UPDATED All-in-One CPHQ Review + 625 Practice Questions with Detailed Answer Explanations for the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality Exam (5 Full-Length Tests)

$24.99 · Buy on Amazon