General practitioners (GPs) and other members of the Primary Health Care Team (PHCT) play a crucial role in the provision of health care for children. At least 25% of GP consultations are with children, and many of the problems encountered are specific to this population group. However, children do not represent a homogeneous population and several ages of childhood are recognised, each with its unique set of illnesses and problems: the neonate, infant, pre-school child, school age child and the adolescent. Furthermore, both the childhood population and their illnesses change with time; new illnesses such as HIV have appeared and others, not seen for many years (such as rickets, tuberculosis and congenital rubella syndrome) have returned. Thus a comprehensive knowledge of the varied aspects of child health is needed; recognition of the acutely ill child, developmental surveillance, immunisation, treatment of chronic illness, and psycho-social issues. GPs are also increasingly involved in influencing configuration and the commissioning of services at a local level. This textbook provides practical guidance for GPs, GP registrars, practice nurses and health visitors dealing with child health in the 21st century. It undertakes a focused, problem-orientated approach based on the more common childhood problems encountered by GPs. Each chapter includes the essential background theory, but the emphasis is on making the clinical approach relevant and sensitive to primary care. Solutions to clinical scenarios are provided, based upon current, best available evidence. Site and system specific chapters are combined with sections looking at wider issues such as ethics and law, multicultural issues, and immunisation.

Table of Contents:
1: Michael Bannon and Yvonne Carter: Introduction 2: Mark Bloch and Parvis Habibi: Recognition and initial management of the sick child 3: Peter Lachman, Fernando Isaza and Jackie Bucknall: Ambulatory paediatrics 4: Jeremy Hull: Respiratory problems 5: Stephen Marks and Richard Trompeter: Common renal problems 6: Richard Nicholl: Neonatal issues in primary care 7: Daniel Leff and Peter McDonald: Paediatric surgery 8: Andrew Clark: Allergy in childhood 9: Pandora Hadfield: Ear, nose and throat problems in childhood 10: Mainga Hamaluba and Andrew Pollard: Common infectious diseases of childhood 11: Fauzia Khan and Mary Rudolf: Failure to thrive: recognition and management in primary care 12: Justine Dempsey: Childhood nutrition for primary care 13: Rodney Franklin and Zdenek Slavik: Paediatric cardiology for the primary care physician 14: Shubha Allard and Cecil Reid: Paediatric haematology 15: Tim Cole and Michael Preece: Height: short and tall stature - when to worry and refer 16: Benjamin Jacobs and Deborah Eastwood: Orthopaedic problems 17: Helen Goodyear: Dermatology 18: Warren Hyer: Gastroenterology problems for primary care 19: Sandeep Jayawant: Paediatric neurology 20: Ahmed Massoud: Endocrine disorders 21: Maria Luscombe, Celia Harding and Michael Bannon: Speech and language disorders and hearing problems 22: Ruth Bastable and David Vickers: Protecting children from abuse and neglect 23: Gill Adams and Barbara Dulley: Ophthalmology 24: Paul Gringras: Autism for primary care 25: Doug Simkiss: Child health promotion programme 26: Jane Barlow and Angela Underdown: The transition to parenthood: the role of the health visitor 27: David Elliman and Helen Bedford: Immunization 28: Denise Kendrick: Accidental injuries in childhood 29: Dee Dawson: Eating disorders 30: John Reilly, Laura Stewart and David Wilson: Childhood obesity in primary care 31: Lionel Jacobson and Diane Owen: Adolescence and primary care 32: Peter Hill and Jonathan Williams: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 33: Frank Oberklaid and Daryl Efron: Encopresis and enuresis: their management in primary care 34: David Foreman: Common psychosocial disorders in children and adolescents: diagnosis and treatment 35: Abdul Rashid Gatrad and Aziz Sheikh: Multicultural paediatrics 36: David Foreman: Ethical and legal issues in paediatric primary care 37: Daniel Kelly: The impact of bereavement on children and young people's welfare & development