The nursing role in epidemiology, risk management, and patient-public education.

Epidemiology encompasses the identification of infectious disease, the vectors of transmission, the sources of contamination, the patient population exposed or involved, containment practices, and preventative measures to stop further transmission of the disease. Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis is a common infectious disease in ophthalmology. It can be contracted from interpersonal exposure, contact with contaminated items, or iatrogenic transmission from the health-care settings and providers. The interview process, plus patient education, is the method of epidemiologic assessment that acts as the format to dealing with the epidemic.