Chapter Four: Epidemiology
Overview
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in human populations. It is the principal science of public health, and its use is essential in disease surveillance. The purpose of epidemiology is to:
- Discover the agent, host, and environmental factors that affect health
- Determine the relative importance of causes of illness, disability, and death
- Identify those segments of the population that have the greatest risk from specific causes of ill health
- Evaluate the effectiveness of health programs and services in improving population health
Epidemiology approaches disease surveillance from a public health perspective using questions such as these:
- What is the problem? (surveillance)
- What are the causes? (risk factor identification)
- What is the solution? (intervention evaluation)
- How is the solution used? (implementation)
Learning Objectives
- Define epidemiology
- Describe how epidemiology is used to solve health problems
- Describe basic terminology and concepts of epidemiology
- Differentiate between incidence and prevalence
- Understand epidemiology in terms of levels of prevention
Key Terms
- epidemiology
rate, prevalence, and incidence
mortality and morbidity
epidemic, endemic, pandemic, and cluster
notifiable conditions
Content in this chapter was adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) and the HSC Public Health Agency (Arnold et al., 2020).
Introduction
Nurses use epidemiology to better understand patterns of disease and treatment options for the patients they serve. Knowledge of epidemiology can help health care professionals set priorities for health education programs, use health resources more effectively, and plan strategies to help meet new health needs. Community and public health nurses have played an integral role in identifying diseases and the organisms that have caused them. Nurses must use what they learn during investigation to make recommendations to control disease spread or prevent a future occurrence.
What is Epidemiology?
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in human populations. It is the principal science of public health, and its use is essential in disease surveillance. Epidemiology is the method used to find the causes of health outcomes and diseases in populations. In epidemiology, the patient is the community, and individuals are viewed collectively. By definition, epidemiology is the study (scientific, systematic, and data driven) of the distribution (frequency, pattern) and determinants (causes, risk factors) of health-related states and events (not just diseases) in specified populations (neighborhood, school, city, state, country, global).
The purpose of epidemiology is to:
- Discover the agent, host, and environmental factors that affect health
- Determine the relative importance of causes of illness, disability, and death
- Identify those segments o