Medical Epidemiology: Population Health and Effective Health Care, Fifth Edition

Book excerpt: Understand the role of epidemiology in clinical medicine for the best patient outcomes possible For nearly a quarter of a century, Medical Epidemiology has been the go-to text for understanding the principles and concepts of epidemiology and the relationship between population-based science and efficient patient care. It delivers the most current information on patterns of disease occurrence and risk factors – all clearly linked to clinical practice through the use of Health Scenarios in every chapter. This edition of Medical Epidemiology has been completely rewritten to reflect the transformative changes in the manner in which epidemiologic methods are being utilized in today’s healthcare as well as the major shifts that have occurred at the policy level. New chapters have been added on many timely topics, including global health, social determinants of health, health inequalities, comparative effectiveness, quality of care, variations in care, and implementation science. Increased information about evaluating, summarizing, and using evidence for improved patient care and outcomes gives this edition an even greater clinical focus.