BNF for Children 2014-2015

Paediatric Formulary Committee

2014-2015

Published jointly by the British Medical Association, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group.

The BNF for Children (BNFC) provides essential practical information to all healthcare professionals involved in the prescribing, dispensing, monitoring and administration of medicines to children.

The resource addresses a significant knowledge gap in many areas of paediatric practice by providing practical information on the use of medicines in children of all ages from birth to adolescence.

Recommendations in the BNF for Children have been constructed on the basis of authoritative sources, emerging evidence and best practice guidelines. The content has been carefully validated by a network of paediatric experts and the process is overseen by a paediatric formulary committee.

Unique benefits

• Shares the familiar structure of the British National Formulary (BNF) and is designed to be used in paediatric and general practice settings
• Includes information on unlicensed use of medicines and provides details of unlicensed medicines that can be imported, manufactured by ‘special order' or prepared extemporaneously
• Covers the drug treatment of rare childhood conditions, provides guidance on specialist paediatric interventions and includes details of those medicines that are used in children in a different way to adults
• As a point-of-care tool it is important that it provides practitioners with the most up-to-date information and therefore the latest edition is essential.

International relevance

BNF and BNFC are the gold standard of drug information in English-speaking countries. They are used for constructing national formularies in other countries and to support regulatory work. They provide essential information when treating patients who have been prescribed medicines in the UK. Unlike many other local alternatives, both resources are completely independent from pharmaceutical industry influence with guidance that is based on best practice and real life evidence.

Significant content updates for latest edition

The BNF for Children 2014-2015 has been revised and revalidated to reflect changes in product availability, emerging safety concerns and shifts in clinical practice.

Significant updates include:

• Revised dose and monitoring requirements for gentamicin in neonatal sepsis
• Safety restrictions on the use of codeine, domperidone, and metoclopramide
• Significant dose changes to amoxicillin, ampicillin, paracetamol, metronidazole, and naloxone
• New advice on switching between different manufacturers’ products of an antiepileptic drug
• Updated advice on the use of ototoxic ear drops in children with perforated tympanic membrane or patent grommet
• Changes to recommendations on interchangeability of oral mesalazine preparations
• Updated guidance on prevention of pertussis
• Rotavirus vaccine included on immunisation schedule, and changes to schedule for meningococcal group C conjugate vaccine
• New safety information on serious hypersensitivity reactions with intravenous iron

• Guidance on the drug management of common childhood condition
• Practical advice on topics such as prescription writing and reporting adverse drug reactions
• Hands-on information on prescribing, monitoring, dispensing and administering medicines for childhood disorders
• Comprehensive dosing guidance for children from birth up to 18 years old
• Details of products on the market as well as reference to many essential products that are not licensed
• Indication of the licensing status of drugs.