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

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Abstract
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.

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