Pharmaco-epidemiology--an operational model (translating the vision into realistic plans and objectives)

The author, previously the State Public Health Officer of the State of North Carolina, and subsequently building the pharmaco-epidemiological programme of the Wellcome Foundation, describes the programme using a number of illustrative examples in tracing drug/disease associations and particularly the use of automated data base-supported linkage projects. The limitations of pharmaco-epidemiology are defined, and in conclusion the application of this discipline is discussed in countries other than the USA such as Italy.