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Welcome to our e-newsletter alerting you to changes in the new edition of BNF for Children (BNFC 2008). We encourage you to follow the link to a BNFC case study which reviews the treatment and prevention of urinary-tract infections in children. Case studies are written in conjunction with our clinical advisers and provide an opportunity for you to find out what the experts are thinking. Also, follow today's tip to make sure you are selecting doses safely and accurately using BNFC.
To access links to the BNFC content, you will need to register at http://bnfc.org. Registration and use of this website is FREE in the UK.
» BNFC 2008 now published
» BNFC update on significant changes
» BNFC case study
» Tips on using BNFC effectively
» Learning with BNF and BNFC
» BNF and BNFC Digital Developments
» BNF and BNFC outside the UK
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| BNFC update on significant changes |
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Human papilloma virus vaccine
From September 2008, immunisation with human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine will be offered routinely to all girls aged 12-13 years in order to protect them against human papilloma virus types 16 and 18, which cause over 70% of cervical cancers. The Immunisation Schedule in BNFC has been updated to reflect these changes and details are provided of the 'catch-up' programmes for this vaccine.
For further information click on HPV vaccine. |
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Urinary-tract infections
Guidance on the management of urinary-tract infections has been updated in BNFC to take into account the recommendations of the NICE guideline: Urinary-tract Infections in Children (August 2007) . This guideline emphasises that antibacterial prophylaxis should not be given routinely to children following their first urinary-tract infection. However, BNFC recommends that antibacterial prophylaxis can be considered for children with recurrent infection, significant urinary-tract anomalies, or significant kidney damage.
For further information click on UTIs. |
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Retapamulin
What's the role of retapamulin in the treatment of bacterial skin infections? Retapamulin can be used for impetigo and other superficial bacterial skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes that are resistant to first-line topical antibacterials. Retapamulin is not active against MRSA.
For further information click on skin infections. |
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Ceftriaxone and calcium
Administration of ceftriaxone- and calcium-containing solutions to neonates has been associated with several deaths following precipitation in the lungs and urine (Drug Safety Update 2007; 1(4): 2-11). BNFC reflects these safety concerns and contra-indicates the use of ceftriaxone in children who require concomitant treatment with calcium.
For further information click on ceftriaxone. |
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Contraceptives
The UK has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in western Europe. BNFC now provides information on the use of all forms of contraception including hormonal methods, devices, and emergency
contraception. For further information click on contraceptives. |
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Pelvic inflammatory disease
The rising incidence of sexually transmitted infections in young people is of great concern. Guidance on the treatment of sexually transmitted infections has been expanded in this edition with the introduction of a
section on pelvic inflammatory disease. For further information click on pelvic inflammatory disease. |
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Shock
Can you tell the difference between 'cold shock' and 'warm shock'? Do you know how to treat them? BNFC provides advice on the treatment of different types of shock including septic, cardiogenic, and hypovolaemic shock. For further information click on shock. |
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IV infusions in neonatal intensive care
Calculating infusion rates on neonatal intensive care can be a risky process. More space has been devoted in this edition to the administration of continuous intravenous infusions in neonatal intensive care. This
information can be found for key drugs in the Administration section of the monographs and will help to reduce the risk of medication errors in this setting. |
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Other changes
To review other changes in BNFC 2008, click on: changes. |
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| BNFC case study |
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To help you put BNFC advice on the treatment and prevention of urinary-tract infections into practice, please follow this link to a BNFC case study.
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| Tips on using the BNFC effectively |
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Much attention is given to the presentation of doses in BNFC to ensure their safe and accurate retrieval by health professionals. For advice and guidance click here.
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| Learning with BNF and BNFC |
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BNF Prescribing Practice for Medical Students
Produced in collaboration with Onexamination, this new online revision aid provides students with a collection of clinically rich questions that stimulate problem solving and improve patient management using the BNF. Designed to support best prescribing practice, the questions cover topics as diverse as asthma, cardiology, diabetes, infections, drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, prescribing in pregnancy and much more.
For further information click on BNF Prescribing Practice for Medical Students.
Learning with BNFC
We encourage you to complete a BNFC online learning module which is available free at http://bnfc.org/bnfc/bnfcextra/current/450048.htm.
This popular module reviews the assessment and management of constipation in children. It also addresses other issues such as the implications of using medicines off-label, reporting adverse drug reactions in children to the regulatory authorities, and navigating the digital version of BNFC to achieve most of the module objectives.
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| BNF and BNFC Digital Developments |
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BNF and BNFC available via NHS Medical Research Service
The BNF and the BNFC are now available for those seeking to access medical information via the NHS Medical Research Service (MRS) which provides online clinical information sources for health care staff in the NHS. MRS is available to all NHS staff and consists of three main tools; the Deskbar Search and Research Pane which can be used directly within the MS Office environment, and the Sharepoint Feature which allows web-based access to the service.
For further information click on NHS Medical Research Service (only available to NHS staff).
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| BNF and BNFC outside the UK |
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The BNF and BNFC are the gold standard for drug information in English speaking countries, they are used for constructing national formularies in other countries, supporting regulatory work and providing important information when treating patients who have been prescribed medicines from the UK.
Subscribe online via MedicinesComplete
Numerous requests have been received from developing countries for BNFCs. The Pharmaid scheme of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association will dispatch old BNFCs to Commonwealth countries. BNFCs will be collected from certain community pharmacies in November.
For further details check the health press or contact: admin@commonwealthpharmacy.org.
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| Feedback on our e-newsletter |
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Please let us know if there are any issues that you would like us to address in e-newsletters. We welcome your feedback, if you have any comments or suggestions please let us know at enewsletter@bnf.org.
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