Primary Care Epidemiology: Bridging Population Health and Clinical Practice, A Mini Review

Abstract

Primary care epidemiology is the application of epidemiological principles and methods to the prevention, diagnosis, management, and evaluation of health problems encountered in primary care. As the first point of contact for most patients, primary care provides a unique setting for understanding disease occurrence, identifying risk factors, monitoring health trends, and evaluating healthcare interventions. Advances in electronic health records (EHRs), disease surveillance systems, and data analytics have expanded the role of primary care epidemiology from describing disease patterns to informing evidence-based clinical decision-making, health policy, and resource allocation. This mini-review summarizes the concept, scope, methodologies, current applications, challenges, and future directions of primary care epidemiology.