Bright Futures Guidelines and Pocket Guide

Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents, 3rd Edition, is a culmination of the most respected recommendations for the top 10 areas of child development. Along with presenting the most up-to-date information on preventive screenings and services by visit, the Guidelines provides visit-by-visit anticipatory guidance for health care providers.

Promoting Healthy Behaviors

The Guidelines highlights the promotion of mental health and healthy weight as significant and growing challenges to the health of children and adolescents. Discussions are integrated throughout the Guidelines on how to care for children and youth with special health care needs in a culturally appropriate manner and how to provide complementary and alternative care.

Trusted for its Evidence-informed Content

Each recommendation was reviewed by a panel of experts and subject to public review. Evidence for effectiveness was a core criterion for including—or excluding—recommendations and interventions in the Periodicity Schedule.

Bright Futures was officially recognized in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) as the blueprint for all visits to the health care provider for health supervision (often referred to as well-child visits).

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The 3rd Edition of the Bright Futures Guidelines received 4 stars from Doody's Book Reviews™, the most trusted source of timely, expert reviews of newly published books and software in the health sciences. "These guidelines represent the standard of care in general pediatrics and should be part of the library of every primary care provider."

Part 1 of the Guidelines features an introduction and 10 chapters on key themes to be aware of in each stage of child development.

Part 2 of the Guidelines comprises 7 chapters. The first 3 chapters give background information, such as rationale and a list of acronyms, and the remaining 4 chapters provide detailed health supervision and anticipatory guidance for the 31 recommended health supervision visits.

Bright Futures Guidelines by Health Promotion Themes (Part 1)

Bright Futures Guidelines by Age/Stage (Part 2)

Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care (Periodicity Schedule)

The Bright Futures/AAP Periodicity Schedule presents, in chart form, the screenings, assessments, physical examinations, procedures, and timing of anticipatory guidance recommended for each age-related visit in the Bright Futures Guidelines. Explanatory notes and a key to the chart provide important details and references that support the recommendations. The Periodicity Schedule can be helpful to many audiences, including state Medicaid agencies, insurance companies, public health clinics, and pediatric practices.

Bright Futures Pocket Guide

The Pocket Guide for the 3rd Edition summarizes elements of each visit in a handy 4- by 7-inch booklet, ideal for quick reference by providers on the go. With all the essentials, the Pocket Guide summarizes each visit's developmental observation, physical examination, medical screening, immunizations, and anticipatory guidance.