The Harriet Lane Handbook: Text with Downloadable PDA Software

The reference I use most at work as a nurse practitioner. I especially love the drug guide, vaccine charts and info, peak flows, and vitals norms for ages.

This book is a must for anyone who cares for children in their practice.

Contains a huge amount of information about pediatrics. Extremely helpful when studying for tests or when making rounds and seeing patients in the clinic.

Harriet is Harriet. If you're going into pediatrics, this is your handbook or white coat book of choice. It is NOT adequate for everything-you-need to know, and there's plenty that's not in here, but it's still the handbook I go to multiple times a day as a resident. The new edition is significantly improved--there is now a rheumatology section, the medications are updated, and the fluids chapter has been rewritten (the earlier version was downright byzantine). Of course, the spine does not seem changed to be stronger, and I'm afraid that pages will start falling out in about a year or so. I think it's worth having the new edition personally, but I can't absolutely recommend it if you have the previous edition (it depends on how often you use it, and what 50 bucks means to you).

The new Harriet Lane contains the same often used, well referenced sources a family medicine resident needs to provide competent care to children. Updates include a reworked fluids electrolytes and nutrition section which has more algorithms and is much more user-friendly than in prior versions. I haven't downloaded the PDA software included with the text yet, but my colleagues are reporting it cumbersome to use. I enjoy keeping multiple references on my PDA, and will likely test the software at a future date. - A third year resident in a family medicine residency.