Pocket book of hospital care for children

Overview

This is the second edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) Pocket book of hospital care for children, which was first published in 2005. It is a compilation of the updated WHO guidelines for the management of common childhood illnesses at the first-referral level in low-resource countries. It presents relevant, up-to-date, evidence-based clinical guidelines that can be used by clinicians in their daily work in hospitals with basic laboratory facilities and inexpensive medicines. The guidelines focus on inpatient management of children who are severely ill with conditions that are major causes of childhood mortality, such as neonatal illness, pneumonia, diarrhoea, fever (mainly malaria, meningitis and septicaemia), severe acute malnutrition and HIV/AIDS. It also includes guidance on common surgical problems, appropriate supportive care and monitoring of patients on the ward.

The Pocket book is part of a series of tools for improving the quality of care for severely ill children and is consistent with the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines for outpatient management of sick children. It is for use by doctors, senior nurses and other senior health workers who are responsible for the care of young children at the first referral level in developing countries.