MCCQE Population Health and Epidemiology 5

Question 1

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommends against routine PSA screening for prostate cancer in average-risk men primarily because:

Accepted Answer

Benefits of screening are outweighed by harms including overdiagnosis and overtreatment

Answer

High rates of overdiagnosis and overtreatment (incontinence, impotence) from PSA screening outweigh modest mortality benefits in average-risk men.

Question 2

Social determinants of health refer to:

Accepted Answer

The conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age

Answer

Social determinants encompass the broader social, economic, and environmental conditions that shape health outcomes across populations.

Question 3

In an outbreak investigation, the epidemic curve shows a sharp peak with cases clustered within one incubation period. This pattern most suggests:

Accepted Answer

A common-source point exposure

Answer

A sharp unimodal peak with cases within one incubation period is characteristic of a point-source outbreak with simultaneous exposure.

Question 4

Which of the following best represents secondary prevention?

Accepted Answer

Mammography screening for breast cancer

Answer

Secondary prevention involves screening to detect disease at an early, asymptomatic stage, enabling earlier treatment.

Question 5

A meta-analysis pools results from 15 RCTs. Significant heterogeneity is detected (I² = 75%). The most appropriate next step is to:

Accepted Answer

Explore sources of heterogeneity through subgroup analysis or meta-regression

Answer

High heterogeneity (I² > 50%) warrants investigation of clinical or methodological reasons through subgroup analysis or meta-regression.

(MCCQE) Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Practice Test