Rourke Baby Record : 2024 Edition

The Rourke Baby Record (RBR) is a freely available knowledge translation/mobilization tool to enable effective and comprehensive preventive healthcare by clinicians caring for children in the first five years of life. Its goal is to ensure that health care providers have up-to-date evidence and information to provide quality care for children in Canada.

Well-baby/child visits using the RBR include growth and nutrition monitoring; developmental surveillance; physical examination parameters; immunizations; and anticipatory guidance on safety, family, relationships, and health promotion issues. The RBR incorporates parent/caregiver resources and links to reliable parent resources on common topics.

The RBR was originally developed in 1979 by Drs. Leslie and James Rourke, (Professors emeriti of Family Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland). The latest revision was completed in November 2024 in collaboration with:

• Dr. Denis Leduc, MD CCFP FRCPC FAAP; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, McGill University
• Dr. Patricia Li, MD, MSc, FRCPC; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, McGill University
• Dr. Anne Rowan-Legg, MD FRCPC; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa
• Dr. Imaan Bayoumi, MD, MSc, CCFP; Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Queen’s University
• Dr. Bruce Kwok, MD, MSc, CCFP; Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto 

The RBR website has been redesigned in 2024 with a user-friendly graphic interface for both web and mobile devices and with enhanced accessibility features.

The RBR website features include:

• Rourke Baby Record forms: Evidence-based infant/child health maintenance GUIDES I to IV (for visits from with 1 week to five years of age), and associated NOTES 1 to 4 (formerly named Resources 1 to 4); available in English and French and as National or Ontario-specific versions
• Highlights of Revisions in the 2024 edition: These include information on anti-racist, inclusive, culturally safe care, and on early relational health; improved clarity of the developmental surveillance section; and new and evolving evidence on many items related to nutrition, injury prevention, healthy routines, and more.
• Interactive RBR: This shows each visit on GUIDES I – IV with direct links to the NOTES/Evidence summary and to corresponding parent resources for each item.
• NOTES/Evidence Summary: This section provides current supporting information organized by topic/domain.
• Resources for parents/caregivers:  Age-specific information handouts as well as links to reliable parent resources on common health issues are available here.
• RBR Adaptations: These are well-child forms adapted from the RBR for unique populations.
• Canadian WHO Growth Charts
• Literature reviewed/Evidence Table: This contains the literature reviewed and critically appraised for level of evidence to support RBR recommendations. The McMaster Evidence Review and Synthesis Team (MERST) supported the evidence review process.  

The Rourke Baby Record is affiliated with the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS), and is endorsed by the CPS, the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), and Dietitians of Canada (DC).The Rourke Baby is supported by the Government of Ontario.