The key purpose of this book is to enable the student to develop practical skills in clinical problem solving by reading and appraising published scientific literature in the form of exercises that begin and end with a clinical scenario. Critical appraisal has become a vital skill for today's health professional. This book is aimed at all those who want or need to be able to use available research evidence to inform their professional practice. In a unique format, this book provides engaging and practical exercises in critically appraising scientific papers, leading the reader step by step through real examples from the medical literature. The exercises are designed to provide practice in key critical appraisal skills as well as to introduce new concepts and test understanding, and will appeal to readers from a wide range of backgrounds. Additional explanation is provided on the major topics in each exercise, together with references to suggested reading for those who wish to explore further. Also included are critical appraisal checklists which can be used in the appraisal and scoring of other published papers. The nine exercises are designed to complement one another and together they provide worked examples for each of the study designs in common use in clinical and health services research. 'Evidence-based Medicine: a critical appraisal for clinical problem-solving' will interest all medical students, public health specialists and clinicians interested in Evidence-Based Medicine. Teachers of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics will also find this a useful purchase.