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A clinician and an epidemiologist both attend a patient with diarrheal disease. Which concern belongs to the epidemiologist rather than the clinician?
APrescribing fluids and medicines for this one patient
BRecording the symptoms carefully in the case notes
CFinding the exposure that caused this illness
DEstablishing the correct diagnosis at the bedside
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Finding the exposure that caused this illness
1. The clinician treats an individual; the epidemiologist treats the community as the patient.
2. The epidemiologist therefore looks for the exposure or source behind the illness, how many others were exposed, and how far it may spread.
3. Prescribing fluids and recording notes are care of one person, which is the clinician's task.
4. Establishing the correct diagnosis interests both of them, so it does not separate the two roles.
_Source: CDC Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice, 3rd Edition, section Specified Populations_
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