Statistics and Data Analysis PRL Quiz 2.

Read the paper following paper to answer the quiz below.

Morgan, O. (2019). How decision makers can use quantitative approaches to guide outbreak responses. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 374(1776), 20180365.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2018.0365

Question 1: What is one of the primary responsibilities of decision makers during outbreak responses?

A

Solely relying on personal experience without consulting experts.

B

Selecting public health interventions and directing staffing and logistics.

C

Exclusively focusing on epidemiological research.

D

Ignoring cultural and political contexts of outbreak areas.

Question 2: What are the limitations of relying solely on 'expert opinion' in outbreak decision-making?

A

Expert opinions guarantee successful decision-making in all scenarios.

B

Expert opinions always align with the latest epidemiological data.

C

Experts from different disciplines may vary in their recommendations.

D

Decision makers fully understand all scientific disciplines involved.

Question 3: According to the text, how have analytic approaches evolved in supporting decision-makers in controlling infectious diseases?

A

Analytic approaches are used, but only in epidemiology.

B

Analytic approaches have been systematically applied in all outbreak responses.

C

Considerable progress, with examples like forecasting in the West Africa Ebola outbreak.

D

There has been little progress in the last decade.

Question 4: What is a primary benefit of applying quantitative approaches to decision-making in outbreak responses?

A

They overcome limitations by optimizing the use of available data.

B

They eliminate the need for data visualization.

C

They allow for reliance solely on expert opinion.

D

They focus only on economic aspects of outbreak management.

Question 5: During which phase of outbreak response is data visualization most helpful for decision-makers?

A

Control phase.

B

Scale-up phase.

C

Enhanced surveillance phase.

D

Investigation phase.

Question 6: What critical role does data science play in the scale-up phase of outbreak responses?

A

Completely replacing traditional epidemiological methods.

B

Eliminating the need for on-the-ground response teams.

C

Focusing exclusively on qualitative data analysis.

D

Improving data collection, cleaning, and linkage systems.

Question 7: In the context of outbreak responses, what is an advantage of machine learning (ML)?

A

It exclusively focuses on economic forecasting.

B

It replaces the need for traditional epidemiological analysis.

C

It is only used for visual data representations.

D

It can efficiently estimate disease transmission dynamics.

Question 8. Why is accurate and timely data management crucial in outbreak responses?

A

It guarantees successful outcomes in all scenarios.

B

It ensures complete reliance on automated systems.

C

It aids in generating accurate descriptive summaries for decision-making.

D

It allows for a focus solely on geographic data.

Question 9. How do modelling approaches aid in optimizing interventions during outbreak responses?

A

By aiding in the selection and timing of various interventions.

B

By avoiding the use of quantitative data in decision-making.

C

By focusing only on the economic aspects of interventions.

D

By limiting the use of interventions to a single type.

Question 10. What is a key challenge in utilizing forecasting for outbreak management, as mentioned in the text?

A

Forecasts focus exclusively on non-health sector data.

B

Forecasting completely eliminates the uncertainty in decision-making.

C

Forecasts are always accurate and operationally relevant.

D

There is a lack of connection between modellers and decision-makers.

Question 11. What is one proposed method to enhance understanding and efficiency in decision-making during outbreak responses?

A

Capturing data about decision-making processes either prospectively or through after-action reviews.

B

Avoiding the use of retrospective reviews.

C

Disregarding the need for an analytics team.

D

Completely relying on decision-making frameworks from previous outbreaks without modifications.

Question 12. According to the paper, what is crucial for realizing the benefits of quantitative methods in decision-making during outbreaks?

A

Limiting the use of quantitative methods to human diseases and excluding animal and plant diseases.

B

Focusing exclusively on epidemiology without incorporating data science.

C

Implementing an explicit approach within the incident management system for data collection and analysis.

D

Relying solely on traditional decision-making approaches without integrating new analytic techniques.