The epidemiology and control of communicable diseases (in the outpatient setting)

The primary care practitioner is increasingly required to deal with challenging infectious disease problems. Today, management of many infectious diseases requires evaluating the patient and determining the appropriate treatment, as well as considering disease transmission and prevention issues. As risk factors for communicable disease transmission and prevention strategies are identified, healthcare providers may find themselves providing more complex patient care. The care of the patient diagnosed with an infectious disease may include prophylaxis for family contacts, collection of disease histories and immunity status for "exposed" office workers, and communicating with schools and child care, in addition to the treatment of the patient. This review of some of the most common infectious disease problems and the appropriate interventions should provide helpful information for primary care practitioners.