Nicole Shilkofski was first introduced to The Harriet Lane Handbook as a medical student, during her pediatrics clerkship rotation at Tulane University. There, she observed all of the pediatrics residents carrying the handbook in the pockets of their white coats.
“People call it the bible of pediatrics for trainees,” says Shilkofski, vice chair of education and residency director of the Department of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins. The handbook is compiled every three years by Johns Hopkins pediatrics residents, and is “meant to be a quick reference to help guide management strategies, and there’s a lot of great charts and diagrams within the book designed to help interns quickly digest facts about a patient’s presentation,” she says.
The 23rd edition of The Harriet Lane Handbook will make its debut in May, with some important updates, say handbook editors Camille Anderson, Sunaina Kapoor and Tiffany Mark.
One notable addition: supplemental audio companion case files, which use a case-based interview format with content experts for “a more conversational and discussion-based approach into important topics within pediatrics,” says Kapoor. The 23rd edition also includes new sepsis management guidelines for children; additional information on the diagnosis and management of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C); and updates regarding adverse childhood experiences in the Development, Behavior, and Developmental Disability chapter.
The process of editing the handbook takes almost the full three years between editions. During the first year, editors work with their resident colleagues to select the authors and faculty advisers for each chapter. The second year is the meat of the process: writing, rewriting and making edits. The third year is largely spent working with the publisher (Elsevier) to edit and review page proofs.
Like those who have served as editors of the handbook before them, Anderson, Kapoor and Mark were selected early in their residency training, based on personality, leadership skills and work ethic. “It’s an absolutely huge deal to be chosen. Their names will be known around the world,” says Julia McMillan, who served as pediatrics residency director from 1990 to 2012.
Over the years, The Harriet Lane Handbook has grown in popularity worldwide, says Shilkofski. who travels internationally for her research and academic interests related to global health.
“Whenever I travel overseas, inevitably, I see a lot of both current and older editions in print in a lot of different countries,” she says. “I see it on pediatricians’ shelves in Africa, Asia and South America, so that’s always a neat thing. Whenever you say Johns Hopkins, pediatricians will immediately grab their Harriet Lane off their shelf.”