Lesson 2. Risk: Basic Principles

Risk involves uncertainty about the outcomes of an activity that we value. In clinical practice, we talk about the risk of a disease or an adverse outcome based upon behaviors or activities. We deal with risk in most of our patient encounters. We take a patient’s history, to include family and social histories, that may predispose or increase their risk of developing a disease or worsening the disease once it has occurred. This module looks at the principles of risk from a public health perspective.