Summary
Epidemiology is a combination of knowledge and research methods concerned with the distribution and determinants of health and illness in populations and with contribution to health and control of health problems. It comprises an analytic, descriptive component termed classical epidemiology and a component concerned with critical appraisal of the research literature and diagnosis and management of illness, which is termed clinical epidemiology.
Modern epidemiology contributes to defining new clinical syndromes and their causes and to completing the picture of the natural history and clinical course of a disease. It assists in the identification of the health risks associated with particular exposures and suggests strategies for disease prevention. It provides the criteria and methodology for determining if a treatment is effective and for describing and identifying health services needs and trends. Epidemiology has application to a range of health-related disciplines and has benefited from the contributions of a variety of professions.
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| 5476. | Streiner DL, Norman GR. PDQ Epidemiology. 2nd ed. Hamilton, Ontario: BC Decker Inc.; 1996. |