From the time Abraham Jacobi set up milk stations and dispensaries for the delivery of care to children, the practice of pediatrics has had disease prevention and health promotion as some of its core values. Dramatic changes over the past several decades have made it difficult to apply the classic disease model to prevention and health promotion, with evidence for the benefit of some long-standing care guidelines lacking while their wisdom remains without question. This poses a daunting challenge to the primary care provider, who is increasingly asked to follow only those guidelines for care delivery that are supported by the strongest evidence.

The development of the Bright Futures Guidelines has been nearly two decades in the making, with efforts focused on optimizing health maintenance while acknowledging the ever changing developmental needs of children. Recognizing the need for stronger evidence behind some of the proposed guidelines, the authors have appropriately dubbed many as evidence-informed. Indeed, the latest edition of the Bright Futures Guidelines is specifically geared toward successful deployment in the busy primary care office, with emphasis placed less on disease detection and more appropriately on the evolving needs of the family.

This issue of Pediatric Annals provides several excellent reviews that will allow the participant to better understand the most recent guidelines for health supervision and prevention, and more importantly, successfully integrate the guidelines into their daily care of children.