Industrial epidemiology

Industrial epidemiology is a specialized discipline concerned with the study of disease occurrence in specific subgroups of the general population, i.e., of relatively healthy members of the work force for whom adequate records are available. Although the ultimate purpose of industrial epidemiology--the prevention of disease--is a logical extension of programs of industrial medicine and occupational and community health, epidemiologic methods must draw on interdisciplinary skills. The existence of centralized records kept in the course of business may make it easier to collect information about industrial populations than to gather data relative to other population subgroups. Many deficiencies in epidemiologic studies of worker groups, however, can be related to poor methods of data-gathering, inadequate record keeping, and an incomplete data base. Sources of information for epidemiologic studies of worker groups may include personnel and medical records, government reports, insurance files, production records, industrial hygiene measurements, surveys and questionnaires, and an organized follow-up program. In some cases, the ready availability of multiple sources of information may lead to differential information bias, and this should be avoided.