Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Pediatric Care Online?
Pediatric Care Online is a comprehensive resource from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), an organization of over 60,000 board-certified pediatrician members dedicated to the health of all children. Pediatric Care Online combines comprehensive clinical information, such as the AAP Textbook of Pediatric Care and Bright Futures, with practical point-of-care resources, such as the Visual Library, Drug Database, and Interactive Periodicity Schedule. For information about the extensive list of contributors, see the About page. To view a demonstration of the site, click to view the Demo.

How do I access Pediatric Care Online?
Pediatric Care Online is accessible via computers and mobile devices. Most content requires a subscription. Individuals can subscribe via the AAP Bookstore. Institutions, practices, and others seeking multiuser access can subscribe by contacting aapsales@aap.org or (800) 433-9016 ext. 7091. Mobile users with wireless Internet access can simply call up the homepage at www.pediatriccareonline.org from their mobile device and access the specially formatted version of the site. Subscribers can also download select content to Palm or Windows Mobile devices using the PDA area of the site.

How do I log in?
Individual users log in using their AAP ID and password - if you are a member of the AAP or if you subscribe to other sites, such as Pediatrics or Grand Rounds journals, Patient Education Online, Red Book Online, or PediaLink, your AAP ID and password is the same as those sites. Institutional/practice-based subscribers are automatically authenticated by IP address. When you are authenticated, the welcome in the upper right will display your name or institution name. Institutional/practice-based subscribers can also set up a login to access personalization features, such as myPCO bookmarks and PDA downloads.

How do I use Pediatric Care Online?
The quickest way to find content is via search. However, there are also several menus accessible via the homepage and the top navigation menu to help users browse to find what they seek.

How do search results work?
All matches display in the main window, with a column on the left showing all the sources of content. Click on a content source to only see results from that title.

What is the Point-of-Care Quick Reference?
The Point-of-Care Quick Reference is a Pediatric Care Online exclusive. It reworks select topics from the AAP Textbook of Pediatric Care to present the essential information in a bulleted, actionable format tailored to use in practice. Users looking for deeper research can easily get to the full chapter and references from the Point-of-Care Quick Reference topic.

Is the content evidence-based?
The AAP Textbook of Pediatric Care and the derived Point-of-Care Quick Reference are evidence-based, with clear references and links to the original research that supports the recommendations. Evidence grades are not available. Bright Futures and Red Book content are expert, peer-reviewed opinion and policy of the AAP.

How does Pediatric Care Online stay current?
The Pediatric Care Online Editorial Advisory Board and AAP staff closely monitor new relevant research, policy, publications, and news and develop updates for the site that post at a minimum of quarterly. Our drug database partner, Lexi-Comp Inc., tracks drug recommendations as well, and that area is updated monthly.

How do I get Technical Support?
Complete the Contact Us form with your information, question, and detailed information about the problem or error and we will respond to you.

What is myPCO?
As a subscriber to Pediatric Care Online you have the ability to save articles and organize them into folders so you can quickly access the information that is most important to you.

How do I request permission?
Please contact our Permissions Department at permissions@aap.org.

How do I provide feedback?
Please complete the Contact Us form or e-mail pco@aap.org - Thank you for your feedback!