The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7242 p455
29 March 2003

Society summary

Society collaborates to expand electronic access to BNF

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is collaborating with First DataBank Europe (FDBE) to expand electronic access to the British National Formulary. The venture will allow Multilex Drug Data File users to access the appropriate BNF section direct from their clinical prescribing or dispensing systems.

The BNF — published jointly by the Society and the British Medical Association under the authority of the Joint Formulary Committee — is compiled with the advice of clinical experts to provide up-to-date guidance on prescribing, dispensing and administering medicines, reflecting current best practice. Multilex DDF is the United Kingdom's most widely used drug database, providing clinical decision support for electronic prescribing and dispensing systems across all health care sectors. The collaboration is expected to have practical benefits throughout the health care community.

The Society's Director of Publications, Charles Fry, said that the BNF print version had become indispensable in clinical practice throughout the UK. The goal now was to achieve similar success with the electronic versions. The new collaboration offered an excellent opportunity to improve its accessibility.

Work on the links from Multilex DDF is now in progress, with first full release due to coincide with BNF 46 (September 2003). Customers who wish to take advantage of this new functionality and pass the benefit on to clinicians using their system, should contact FDBE to discuss an implementation schedule.