Epidemiology in General Practice

This is an account which aims to make the principles and methods of epidemiology attractive and accessible to GPs. Epidemiology is seen as a scientific method which defines and measures events occuring in communities. It analyzes and interprets these events in order to identify the relationships between them so as to explain the causes and outcome of illness, disease and disability. The work provides an introduction to the concepts and methods that the general practitioner should use if conducting epidemiological research in the general practice setting and illustrates the care that should be taken in collecting data and the measurements required to investigate complex issues such as the epidemiology of chronic diseases and psychiatric disorders. Using everyday problems from general practice, the GP's role in the community and the role of epidemiology in prevention, diagnosis, management and research are discussed with indications of the ways in which epidemiological methods may be used to solve problems.