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American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 132, No. 1: 9-16
Copyright © 1990 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

review-article

THE EPIDEMIOLOGIC FIELD INVESTIGATION: SCIENCE AND JUDGMENT IN PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE

RICHARD A. GOODMAN1,, JAMES W. BUEHLER2 and JEFFREY P. KOPLAN3

1Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control Atlanta, GA
2Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control Atlanta, GA
3Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control Atlanta, GA

Reprint requests to Dr. Richard A. Goodman, Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333

Epidemiologic field investigations are often done in response to acute public health problems. When outbreaks of disease occur, there usually is an urgent need to identify the source and/or cause of the problem as a basis for control. Alternatively, the identification of environmental or occupational hazards frequently demands evaluation of exposed persons and assessment of the risks of disease. In this commentary, the authors present a perspective on the public-sector practice of epidemiology by considering the factors that influence epidemiologic investigations in the field; contrasting epidemiologic field investigations with prospectively planned studies; and examining the complexities of the relations between epidemiology and public health practice.

disease outbreaks; environmental exposure; epidemiologic methods; epidemiology; health policy


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