This book is an introduction to history-taking and the examination of patients, with step-by-step instructions for the junior medical student working on the ward for the first time. It aims to provide a solid foundation of essential knowledge from which medical students can develop their own systematic approaches.

The book is designed to be carried comfortably in a white coat pocket for easy reference, and to directly complement the larger text Clinical Examination 3e: A Systematic Guide to Physical Diagnosis. Coverage is comprehensive, yet concise. For this reason, details of the mechanisms of symptoms and signs, and comprehensive lists of differential diagnosis are not included, but may be found in Clinical Examination.