Epidemiological studies greatly contribute to the development of risk-associated prevention measures. They help to address the prevalence of a disease, trace its history, and identify its determinants and causes (Jenicek, 2019). The field’s researchers explore the patterns of an illness and allow public health sector representatives to create prevention plans and treat the problem. In general, its goal is to boost the quality of healthcare services, thereby improving public health.
Epidemiologists use their knowledge of disease flows to transfer this information to healthcare workers, allowing them to develop prevention measures. For example, in experimental studies, they can address the risk of obesity in children with diabetes (Chooi et al., 2019). By informing the healthcare sector about this condition, the researchers may report possible consequences and recommend necessary treatment. Then, the medical organizations and other stakeholders decide how to prevent possible risks and elaborate on specific interventions. In observational epidemiological studies, professionals observe the risks and trends of a disease. For instance, when coronavirus’s first wave surged, the researchers observed the factors affecting the spread of the disease (Zachariah et al., 2020). Therefore, different types of studies can be used for the identification of treatments, trends, and other variables.
The field plays a significant role in terms of evidence-based medicine since the results of the studies are implemented in practice. It means that when one pattern is observed many times, it is supplied to the healthcare field where it is tested (Jenicek, 2019). What is more, epidemiological studies offer new perspectives for evidence-based medicine. For example, when coronavirus treatment was discovered, epidemiologists proposed that a vaccine could help reduce pandemic-related risks. This has greatly contributed to the decrease in morbidity and mortality rates.
References
Chooi, Y. C., Ding, C., & Magkos, F. (2019). The epidemiology of obesity. Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, 92, 6-10. Web.
Jenicek, M. (2019). Foundations of evidence-based medicine: clinical epidemiology and beyond (2nd ed.). CRC Press.
Zachariah, P., Johnson, C. L., Halabi, K. C., Ahn, D., Sen, A. I., Fischer, A., Banker, S. L., Giordano, M., Manice, C. S., Diamond, R., Sewell, T. B., Schweickert, A. J., Babineau, J. R., Carter, R. C., Fenster, D. B., Orange, J. S., McCann, T. A., Kernie, S. G., Saiman, L., & Columbia Pediatric COVID-19 Management Group. (2020). Epidemiology, clinical features, and disease severity in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a children’s hospital in New York City, New York. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(10), e202430. Web.