That’s Sick! a Health Sciences Problem-Based Learning Activity RESOURCE FOR: That’s Sick Presentation

Step 1 - Background That’s Sick! Problem-Based Activity

Background Information food-borne illness What is food-borne illness? An illness that more than one person gets as a result of eating contaminated food virus What is a virus? A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of other organisms. Viruses can infect all types of life forms. bacteria What are bacteria? Bacteria are microscopic living organisms, usually one-celled, that can be found everywhere. They can be dangerous, such as when they cause infection, or beneficial, as in the process of decomposition.

Background Information parasite What is a parasite? An organism that lives off or in another organism, obtaining nourishment and protection while offering no benefit in return. Human parasites are often harmful to the body and can cause diseases, such as trichinosis. feces What is feces? Waste matter discharged from the bowels after food has been digested; excrement, poop. ingest What does it mean to ingest? To take (food, drink, or another substance) into the body by swallowing or absorbing it.

Background Information Epidemic What is an Epidemic? A widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time. Epidemiologist What is an Epidemiologist? A public health professionals who investigate patterns and causes of disease in people.

Where it starts… You are student at Beehive University in the small college town where you live. You have always wanted to be a doctor. Your Epidemiology class has really sparked your interest. You have started considering becoming an epidemiologist. You work at a clinic near the college to help pay your way through school.

Epidemiology and Biostatistics In your Epidemiology and Biostatistics class, you have been given an assignment. You find this assignment very interesting. You have no idea how important it is about to become. You are to research 15 illnesses and record the following information: Type of Illness (bacteria, virus, parasite, etc.) Incubation time (time it takes for someone to show symptoms after exposed) Symptoms Cause of the illness or how it is spread Other information that you think might be important to an epidemiologist

Step 2 – How it all began… That’s Sick! Problem-Based Activity

In the beginning It all started when you were working at the a clinic The clinic where you work has an after hours clinic that is open until 9:00 pm on weekdays and from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm on weekends. You often work the after hours clinic because it doesn’t interfere with your classes.

“The Perez’s” November 18 th, at 4:30 p.m., Chris and Tina Perez came into the clinic. They were both sick with similar symptoms: fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

“John King” November 19 th, at 7:45 p.m., John King came in with fever, nausea, vomiting, and severe diarrhea.

“Jazmine & Kyle Jensen” On November 20, at 8:30 a.m., Jazmine Jensen came in with her 5-year-old son, Kyle. They both had nausea, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea.

“Lynette Hardy” Lynette Hardy, Jazmine Jensen’s mother, also came in with Jazmine and Kyle. Her symptoms were the same as Jazmine and Kyle.

Points of Interest Seeing a pattern, Tammy Baker, Physician’s Assistant, becomes suspicious. Many of the after-hours and walk-in patients at the clinic had similar symptoms The symptoms indicated some type of communicable disease or food-borne illness.

Concern Builds Over the course of the day, 4 more patients came in with similar symptoms. P.A. Baker starts asking patients about where they have eaten recently. P.A. Baker starts to get concerned and calls the Health Department. The Health Department tells her that they have had other reports of similar symptoms.

Research Begins The Health Department asks P.A. Baker if she could gather information from all of the clinic patients who are showing similar symptoms. Knowing your interest in epidemiology, P.A. Baker asks you to call and follow up with the patients who have already been seen in the clinic. The clinic begins to gather the requested information from new patients with similar symptoms as they arrive.

Identify the problem Do you think the illnesses are connected? Where do you think the people got sick? How did the people get sick? Could this epidemic have been prevented? How can we keep this from continuing or happening again?

A Driving Question Let’s write a question that includes how the problem might be solved:

That’s Sick! Project Each team will need to complete the following tasks: Research 15 illnesses and find out the following information: Type of illness (Virus, bacteria, parasite, etc.) Incubation time (How long does it take to start to get sick?) Symptoms Cause (How do people get this illness?) Any other information that you think might be important Organize the information into a spreadsheet or other format so that it can be easily evaluated Research illnesses that could have caused the epidemic.

That’s Sick! Project Each team will need to complete the following tasks: Review patient interview transcripts and gather the following information What are their symptoms? Where have they eaten in the past few days to a week? What did they eat? Who was with them? Has anyone else who has been around them gotten sick? If they have, did they eat at any of the same places or eat any of the same foods? Review patient interview transcripts for a possible cause.

That’s Sick! Project Each team will need to complete the following tasks: Organize the interview information into a spreadsheet or other format so that it can be easily evaluated Narrow down any restaurants or common places where patient’s ate. If possible, identify the likely place of origin for this epidemic Find out who was working at any of the suspected restaurants at the time the patients were eating there. Organize patient interview information in a spreadsheet.

That’s Sick! Project Each team will need to complete the following tasks: Review employee interview transcripts from employees at the suspected restaurant(s) Who was working on the day(s) in question? Have they been ill recently? Do they have a current Food Handlers Permit? Did they practice proper hand washing and food storage/preparation? What food did they handle during the week in question? How could this food borne epidemic have happened? Review employee interview transcripts. How did it happen?

That’s Sick! Project Each team will need to complete the following tasks: Evaluate the data collected to see if you can determine: What illness caused the epidemic? Where did it start? How did it get to the patients? How can we prevent it from happening again? Evaluate all data to determine what caused the epidemic.

That’s Sick! Project Each team will need to complete the following tasks: Each person create a public service ads to help prevent this type of epidemic in the future. Ads can be billboards, radio ads, TV ads, print ads, or electronic (Internet) ads. Each person on the team create a one page promotion for a career related to the mystery you just solved. Think of all the people who could be involved in solving this case. Create public service announcements and career promotions.