AAP 2011: Best Online Resources for Pediatricians

There are some health care professionals who unaware of the type of online tools the American Academy has to offer to its members, as well as those that are available to anyone. During the “AAP Online Tools and Resources” session at AAP 2011, Dr. Michael Leu discussed and demonstrated some of the most popular and useful online tools, and a quick preview of what to expect.

PediaLink — This resource is “the AAP’s online center for lifelong learning, and represents a powerful resource developed to meet the learning needs of pediatric health care professionals.” Pediatricians can view CME courses that have been taken through the AAP, look for available CME around the country, and review CME from previous years.

Pediatric Care Online — This resource is the online companion of the 2,000 page print volume of Pediatric Care. Features include the ability to quickly access information found in Pediatric Care, perform searches, and access the visual library. The benefit of this website is that it’s the only resource continuously updated with new AAP policies and guideline updates. In order to access the information, a subscription fee of $250 (Red Book access is included) is needed; it is recommended that pediatricians check to see if their institute will help field these costs.

Child Health Informatics Center — For pediatricians who need assistance with meaningful use, the Child Health Informatics Center resource is one of the best places to access information. Site visitors can view white papers, read the definition of meaningful use, and determine if they can qualify for the incentives. There is a meaningful use incentive calculator to determine how much money a pediatrician could get from the federal government if he or she decides to move forward.

Immunization Catch Up Scheduler — This is a great resource for pediatricians, especially when treating international children who most likely have not received the required immunizations. The initial application requires manually filling out the form. Once all of the information available is entered in, as vaccines are administered, the application will automatically update through a computer.

HealthyChildren.org — Dr. Leu said, “This is a really nice tool for families to look at.” Pediatricians should encourage parents to visit this family-friendly website which offers tools and tips and an immunization schedule. The best (and worst) tool is the symptom tracker link where parents can read more about possible diagnoses.

What to look forward to

Although Dr. Leu did not elaborate very much on the online tools in development, he did provide a quick list of what pediatricians can look forward to:

• Electronic Health Record infrastructure to facilitate between the AAP and third-party vendors
• Immunization registries
• Toolkit to manage pediatric obesity that will include posters, tools, and devices
• Continue support of meaningful use as each rule is rolled out