Epidemiology - (6th Edition)

Author: Wang Jianhua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Epidemiology is a concept and a belief that collaboratively promotes public health. It holds a unique position in medicine, not only as a leading discipline in preventive medicine but also as a population science with balanced leverage in three domains—medical education, medical research, and medical services. A widespread understanding and acceptance of epidemiology and its methodologies are not only one of the hopes for reuniting medicine and public health but also the most feasible and useful approach currently (Kerr L. White). To adapt to the broader context of societal development and keep pace with the times, under the guidance of the Ministry of Health's teaching materials office, we further comprehended the fundamental requirements of "Three Basics" and "Five Qualities," established a commitment to excellence, and strived to integrate the idea of unifying basic medicine, clinical medicine, and preventive medicine throughout the entire book. For classical epidemiological methods, we paid attention to incorporating new and mature advancements. Based on feedback from experts and peers, we decisively removed the chapters on "Molecular Epidemiology" and "Management Epidemiology." We also separated several closely related clinical research topics into individual chapters, including "Clinical Efficacy and Disease Prognosis Research," "Screening and Diagnostic Tests," "Evidence-Based Medicine and Meta-Analysis," and "Adverse Drug Reactions."
At the same time, due to the sudden outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003 and the catastrophic harm it caused to humanity, as well as the issues exposed during the response to SARS—particularly the lack of prevention awareness among healthcare workers—we recognized that no complacency should be allowed in preventing infectious diseases. Therefore, we included the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases," the "Implementation Measures for the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases," and the "Emergency Regulations on Public Health Emergencies" as appendices at the end of the book to facilitate the dissemination of relevant legal knowledge.