Bright Futures

Bright Futures is a national health promotion initiative dedicated to the principle that every child deserves to be healthy and that optimal health involves a trusting relationship between the health professional, the child, the family, and the community as partners in health practice. Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents (2nd ed., rev.) (1994; 2000; 2002) is the cornerstone document of the Bright Futures project. The guidelines present a detailed framework for health professionals, in partnership with families, to promote the developmental health and well-being of children from birth to young adulthood.

For each of the 29 recommended health visits (newborn through 21), the guidelines provide key health questions, developmental observations or milestones, scheduled immunizations and screening procedures, and specific guidance for families on anticipated changes their child will experience in the approaching stage of development. Appendices cover the spectrum of screening and developmental concerns ranging from hearing to hypertension, from measurement of growth and body-mass-index to the stages of sexual development.

Based on extensive review of scientific literature and best practices, the Bright Futures guidelines were developed by multi disciplinary expert panels and reviewed by nearly 1,000 practitioners, educators, and health advocates. The guidelines are consistent with those of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and were developed with the support of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Project goals are to foster partnerships between families, health professionals, and communities, promote desired social, developmental, and health outcomes of infants, children, and adolescents, increase family knowledge, skills, and participation in health-promoting and prevention activities, and enhance health professionals’ knowledge, skills, and practice of developmentally appropriate health care in the context of family and community.

Resources

The Bright Futures Guidelines publication, both in English and Spanish, can be downloaded from www.brightfutures.org

Also available are parent and family materials. Contact Bright Futures, Georgetown University, Box 571272, Washington, DC 20057-1272; 202-784-9556

The Bright Futures website provides published guidelines for health supervision of infants, children, and adolescents. www.brightfutures.org

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