Assists nursing and health professionals in gaining a basic understanding of statistics. Appropriate for self-study or course use, this pratical text trains the student to become a better consumer of research by identifying violations of statistical assumptions and interpreting results. Emphasizes a general understanding, rather than memorization, of formulas. Where possible, calculations are simplified to avoid "number crunching." Numerous practical examples taken from published research, exercises, objectives, and summaries to aid learning.