Finally a textbook from the AAP; it has been feeling awkward to refer to Nelson or Forfar when we pediatricians want to check on a trusted pediatric reference!
The American Academy of Pediatrics as a regulator and as a national symbol of pediatric care would have to come up with a reference for all pediatricians and finally it’s here.
What’s interesting here is that the book was made available for the PDA/wireless/Web even before the print edition was released! As of the time this post was written Amazon did not release it and is scheduled for release in November. This reflects the fact that it’s essentially designed for electronic use rather than a traditional paper textbook and also means that the AAP is determined to make serious steps towards the transformation of pediatric literature into the electronic format matching the 21st century digital era.
The textbook is packed within the Pediatric Care Online [PCO] which contains a number of other great resources and references for the pediatrician and is the product of AAP content plus Unbound Medicine development.
The AAP Textbook of Pediatric Care is available through the online and wireless version of PCO and is not yet available for the native PDA software.
The textbook looks like this on a Windows Mobile screen using Internet Explorer Mobile to log in to http://pediatriccareonline.org and then working on AAP Textbook
The Textbook is composed of 10 Parts and 361 Chapters covering Pediatrics from A to Z. Even a chapter on Online resources and the use of PDAs in clinical pediatrics. Each topic is followed by a wonderful When to refer and When to admit sections specifically targeting and guiding primary care providers and junior peds but it is also styled in a format that is useful to any pediatrician regardless of the practice setting.
It is so detailed that the AAP decided to make a summerized version for the PDA platform and correctly named Point-of-Care Quick Reference to make it easy for us finding the required information.
It is also rich in guidelines and chapters are followed by live links AAP policy statements when relevant and being an electronic reference it will be frequently updated as new guidelines are added or changed. Not only AAP contents links but also CDC, FDA, and Pub Med live links making it an incredible evidence based pediatric resource.
As part of PCO it is also cross linked to Bright Futures and Pediatric Lexi Drugs making it even more comprehensive and a reference where you can find all answers.
The price for the print edition alone is $165 you can buy it from Amazon here and for the online version is $250 [members] and $290 [non-members] and if you want both then the price is $350.
This is undoubtedly the ultimate pediatric reference and a must have resource for every practicing pediatrician.
Check out AAP Textbook of Pediatric Care pda4peds review and you may also vote for it in the Best Pediatric PDA Reference poll.