Additional considerations for maternal and child health handbooks in light of WHO's recommendations on home-based records for maternal, newborn and child health: a commentary in response to Nakamura

Until research demonstrates that maternal and child health (MCH) handbooks are superior to other forms of home-based records in all situations or in select circumstances, we should use greater discretion in sanctioning MCH handbooks or endorsing one form of home-based record over any other. In this journal's inaugural issue,1 Nakamura discussed the successful introduction and use of MCH handbooks in Japan and described the handbook's intended function as a record of health information for mothers during pregnancy (antenatal and postnatal care) and children from birth through adolescence. He also described Japan's support for the introduction of MCH handbooks in other countries2 through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the theoretical role of MCH handbooks within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. In his thesis, Nakamura extolled the perceived benefits of MCH handbooks without providing appropriate context—context that might cause readers to hesitate and consider whether health handbooks are in fact superior to other forms of home-based personal health records such as vaccination only cards or vaccination plus growth monitoring cards.