Problems of causality and organization of epidemiological studies in industrial medicine

The article is devoted to the problem of causality and the assessment of cause-and-effect relationships in occupational pathology studies, occupational hygiene, and industrial medicine using methodological approaches of clinical epidemiology, more widely known in the Russian Federation as evidence-based medicine. The issues of evidence and causality in occupational medicine, and the organization and conduct of epidemiological studies in occupational medicine using specialized questionnaires, as well as clinical, functional, molecular, and genetic methods are considered. The concept of a disease «risk factor» and the organizational and methodological foundations for assessing and managing occupational risks in industrial medicine are discussed.