© 1976 Oxford University Press
research-article |
A Systems Approach to Cardiovascular Disease Research
1Department of Pathology, West Wales General Hospital Carmarthen, Wales.
2Director, MRC Epidemiology Unit (South Wales) 4 Richmond Road, Cardiff CF2 3AS, Wales.
3Reprint requests should be addressed to Dr.P.Elwood.
Johnson, A. P. (Department of Pathology, West Wales General Hospital, Carmarthen, Wales) and Elwood, P. C. A systems approach to cardiovascular disease research. International Journal of Epidemiology 1976, 5: 255258.
Research in cardiovascular disease is fragmented and difficulties arise in communication between workers in different disciplines. There is no shortage of facts but rather a deficiency in concepts which can accommodate the facts.
Systems analysis is suggested as a way to develop a conceptual framework for the assimilation of existing and new information, and to give a basis for decisions about priorities in research. A model of mechanisms in cardiovascular disease is presented to illustrate the approach.