Practical pediatrics

although many books in pediatrics are available, both large and small but none teaches a straight forward approach that can be quickly and easily grasped by a medical student, intern or a junior resident, as a result they are heavily dependent on their senior colleagues for guidance all the time. the book is written by 37 specialist's senior doctors from a university teaching hospital. most of them are either members or fellows of royal college of paediatrics and child health of uk. they possess sound experience in the day to day management of the diseases that they wrote about. throughout the book we have tried to maintain a common format for each chapter by first defining the topic with its incidence so as to give an idea about how common the condition is. the causes are classified in an order of priority rather than a theoretical list; a practical approach to differential diagnosis is discussed based on history, physical examination, and primary investigations. the specific lab tests needed for confirmation is given according to clinical situation. the management is outlined in a simple and practical form as it is practiced at our institution; wherever possible, we have used tables and algorithms and also tried to incorporate the standard ward protocols to make the management approach uniform and evidence based. finally, the prognosis and common complications are outlined to understand the need for long-term follow-up. family counseling is especially emphasized. as passing exams is an essential aspect of medical training, a chapter is especially included to guide the students in this regard. we sincerely expect that this book will prove to be a significant step forward in improving the teaching and learning process of all students and junior doctors.