This introduction to epidemiology helps medical, nursing, and pharmacy students develop a system to observe and assess outcomes in similar patient types, and then apply this knowledge of outcomes to improve future patient care. The Fourth Edition has been redesigned to enhance understanding with new illustrations, pedagogical tools, examples, and summary boxes.

According to a faculty member at the University of North Carolina, "This is one of the few books truly written for students of clinical epidemiology...I've used it in the past and would do so in the future. The book is comprehensive and takes a practical approach to explaining important topics."