The Rourke Baby Record is a
pediatric
Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...
record widely used in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
, and provides practice
guidelines to
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
s for the care of Canadian neonates,
infants
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
and
toddlers. "The Rourke", as it is called among Canadian
family physicians and pediatricians, is published by the
Canadian Pediatric Society
The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) is a national association of paediatricians.
As a voluntary professional association, the CPS represents more than 3,000 paediatricians, paediatric subspecialists, paediatric residents, and other people wh ...
, and is intended for general use with patients ages 0–5 years. It enables
clinicians charged with the care of newborns to track development and
physical exam
In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally consists of a series of questions about the patient ...
data in a standardized and nationally recognized framework from birth onwards, as well as
nutrition
Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficien ...
,
immunization
Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an infectious agent (known as the immunogen).
When this system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body, called ''non-s ...
status and other milestones. Because of its centrality to the care of infants in Canada, the Rourke guide is retained with the child's
chart and establishes a record of
proper care. As such it is also a medicolegal document.
History
*First published in 1979
Original Authors
*Dr. Leslie Rourke MD, CCFP, MClinSc(FM), FCFP, FRRMS
*Dr. James Rourke MD, CCFP(EM), MClinSc(FM), FCFP, FRRMS, LLD
Versions
A national Canadian version and version specific to
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
are published
Recommendations
Screening Intervals
The record is split into four guides focusing on different
screening periods by age:
*Guide I: 1 week, 2 weeks (optional), 1 month
*Guide II: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months
*Guide III: 9 months, 12 months, 15 months
*Guide IV: 18 months, 2–3 years, 4–5 years
References
External links
Rourke Baby Record
Pediatrics in Canada
{{Pediatrics-stub