The latest edition of the Bright Futures Guidelines is now available!
The centerpiece of the Bright Futures program, the guidelines provide child health promotion information and guidance for health professionals from pediatricians to public health officials to school nurses.
The Bright Futures Guidelines can help you be prepared for visits with parents and children.
Organized for quick, easy access to the information you want.
Part 1 features 10 chapters on key themes that recur in each stage of child development.
Part 2 provides health supervision guidance and anticipatory guidance for the 31 recommended health supervision visits from infancy through late adolescence. Each visit:
- Starts with a context that captures the child at that age
- Contains handy lists and tables that summarize interval history questions, parent-child and developmental observation, physical exam, medical screening, and immunizations
- Lists five priorities that help you focus your discussions with parents and children on the most important issues for that visit
- Provides anticipatory guidance for each priority sample question's and discussion points help you talk to children and families
You can download PDF's of each chapter of the Guidelines by clicking on the links below or you can order the complete 3rd Edition Guidelines from the AAP Bookstore.
Bright Futures Themes
In tune with the families and communities you work with every day
The Guidelines highlight promoting mental health and promoting healthy weight as significant challenges to the health of children and adolescents. Discussions on care for children and youth with special health care needs, cultural competence, and complementary and alternative care are integrated throughout the Guidelines.
Evidence-based
Reflects the newly revised Periodicity Schedule. Each potential 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. You can review the reference information for the guidelines. A PDF for each chapter of the Guidelines provides links to the literature cited where available.
Bright Futures Pocket Guide
The 3rd Edition Pocket Guide summarizes each visit in a handy pocket-sized, 4- by 7-inch guide. With all the essentials, one easy reference summarizes each visit—developmental observation, physical exam, medical screening, immunizations, and anticipatory guidance. It includes four all-new appendices—medical screening tables, resources, screening tools, and sample scripts. This 2008 edition can be ordered online at Bright Futures 3rd Edition Pocket Guide.
A PDF of the Pocket Guide is also available for downloading
Bright Futures for the PDA!
Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents, 3rd edition
Bright Futures for PDA: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents, 3rd edition - Download includes 3rd edition full text and Pocket Guide content.
Click here to purchase from the AAP bookstore
Presentations and Handouts
Bright Futures PowerPoint presentations and Health Promotion Information sheets
for each of the ten Bright Futures themes are available in the
Presentations section of this Web site.
Click here to purchase Bright Futures Materials from the AAP bookstore