BNF 68 - British National Formulary (PAPERBACK) September 2014-March 2015

British National Formulary (BNF) 68

Joint Formulary Committee

68 (September 2014)

Published jointly by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal Pharmaceutical Society

The British National Formulary (BNF) provides up-to-date, practical guidance on prescribing, dispensing, and administering medicines. This essential reference reflects current best practice as well as legal and professional guidelines relating to the uses of medicines.

BNF 68 (September 2014) has been revised and revalidated to reflect changes in product availability, emerging safety concerns and shifts in clinical practice. Access to the latest edition of the BNF is vital for healthcare professionals, as there are a large number of updates from one edition to the next.

Some of the significant changes in this edition include:

• Updated guidance on the incidence of venous thromboembolism associated with combined hormonal contraceptives
• Updated oral doses of amoxicillin and ampicillin for children
• New MHRA restrictions on the use of domperidone following a review of the risks and benefits of its use
• Changes made to the recommendations on interchangeability of oral mesalazine preparations
• New MHRA advice on self-administration of adrenaline for anaphylaxis
• The dose of naloxone for acute opioid overdosage in adults and children has been revised 
• Updates to recommendations on doses and indications of paracetamol in children
• Updates to guidance on the treatment of epilepsy

The BNF evaluates clinical evidence from diverse sources with information validated by a network of clinical experts and published under the authority of a Joint Formulary Committee.

RPS members qualify for a 50% discount on purchases of the BNF and BNFC - enter your membership number at the checkout. This is not valid for bulk orders.

Content of the BNF reflects current best practice as well as legal and professional guidelines relating to the uses of medicines. The resource includes:

• Guidance on the drug management of common conditions
• Details of medicines prescribed within the UK with special reference to their uses, cautions, contra-indications, side-effects, doses and relative costs. This allows treatment to be tailored to the individual needs of each patient.
• Guidance on prescribing, monitoring, dispensing and adminstering medicines.

The content is updated every 6 months in print, making it an up-to-date source of prescribing advice for informed decision-making.

From the reviews of previous editions:

"...The British National Formulary (BNF) is a useful reference for a quick verification of drugs and treatment plans when prescribing and dispensing drugs...

...This is a resource that is truly useful for any clinician or healthcare professional seeking information on drugs and drug therapeutics. There are even instructions on how to use the BNF, specifically directed toward certain healthcare practitioners...

...The BNF is much more than just monographs of drugs, which characterize many drug references. It also includes extensive prefaces and appendixes that focus on common issues in drug therapeutics. For example, it has information on prescribing in certain populations, (the elderly, children, patients with comorbid conditions/renal impairment), how to minimize drug interactions, treatment of emergency poisoning, prescribing in pregnancy and lactation, and other patient-specific topics...

...As a pharmacist and pharmacy educator in the U.S., I am not familiar with the BNF, but I was pleasantly surprised at how complete it was. Because it is updated every six months, it is about as current as a drug reference in print can be..."

Patrick J McDonnell, Pharm.D. (Temple University School of Pharmacy), Doody's Notes, May 2013