Clinical epidemiology is a subfield of
epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evide ...
specifically focused on issues relevant to
clinical medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...
. The term was first introduced by
Jean Paul
Jean Paul (; born Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, 21 March 1763 – 14 November 1825) was a German Romantic writer, best known for his humorous novels and stories.
Life and work
Jean Paul was born at Wunsiedel, in the Fichtelgebirge mountain ...
in his presidential address to the
American Society for Clinical Investigation
The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), established in 1908, is one of the oldest and most respected medical honor societies in the United States.
Organization and purpose
The ASCI is an honorary society to which more than 2,800 ph ...
in 1938. It is sometimes referred to as "the basic science of clinical medicine".
Definition
When he coined the term "clinical epidemiology" in 1938, Jean Paul defined it as "a marriage between quantitative concepts used by epidemiologists to study disease in populations and decision-making in the individual case which is the daily fare of clinical medicine".
According to Stephenson & Babiker (2000), "Clinical epidemiology can be defined as the investigation and control of the distribution and determinants of disease."
Walter O. Spitzer has highlighted the ways in which the field of clinical epidemiology is not clearly defined. However, he felt that, despite criticism of the term, it was a useful way to define a specific subfield of epidemiology.
In contrast,
John M. Last felt that the term was an oxymoron, and that its increasing popularity in many different medical schools was a serious problem.
See also
*''
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
The ''Journal of Clinical Epidemiology'' is a peer-reviewed journal of epidemiology. The journal was originally established as the ''Journal of Chronic Diseases'' in 1955 as a follow-up to Harry S. Truman's 1951 Presidential Task Force on nationa ...
''
References
Clinical medicine
Epidemiology
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