Clinical epidemiology is a subfield of epidemiology specifically focused on issues relevant to clinical medicine. The term was first introduced by Jean Paul in his presidential address to the American Society for Clinical Investigation 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.

References

Clinical medicine Epidemiology {{med-stub

Definition

See also

References