BNF highly rated as medicines information source
The BNF's most intensive users are hospital pharmacists |
Eight out of 10 health professionals say that the British
National Formulary is their favourite source of medicines information.
Research carried out at the end of last year and commissioned by RPS
Publishing and the BMJ Publishing Group, which jointly produce the BNF,
found that half of doctors, pharmacists and nurses refer to the BNF three
times a day or more and that 92 per cent use it several times a week.
The most highly rated attributes of the book were its trustworthiness
and authority, with 88 per cent of users believing that it is not influenced
by the pharmaceutical industry and 61 per cent believing that it is free
of Government influence.
The most intensive users of the BNF were found to be hospital pharmacists,
77 per cent of whom use it three times a day or more. The next heaviest
users are primary care nurses (71 per cent using it at least three times
a day), community pharmacists (63 per cent) and GPs (62 per cent).
Sir Charles George, director of the BMJ Publishing Group, said: “This
independent research reinforces how the BNF is regarded by those with
responsibility for prescribing and the importance of its independence
from both the pharmaceutical industry and Government.
“Not only do doctors and pharmacists rely on the BNF but nurses,
who within a few years may be prescribing more medicines than doctors,
also refer
to the BNF to ensure consistent standards of prescribing are maintained.”
Martin Kendall, chairman of the joint formulary committee which oversees
production of the BNF, said: “This independent research is extremely
encouraging since it indicates that the BNF is widely used by all health
care professionals because they regard it as trustworthy and authoritative.
These results are also encouraging to the editorial team and the advisory
boards who work tirelessly to update the information continuously and
ensure the high quality and reliability are maintained.”
The research findings were announced as BNF 53 was published.
Latest revisions Revisions in the latest edition of the BNF include a warning that the
breast-fed children of mothers who take products containing
codeine
might be at risk of morphine poisoning if their mothers are extensive metabolisers
of codeine.
Guidance on the use of heparin anticoagulants has been updated, as have the
recommended regimens for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori in gastric
and duodenal ulcer
patients and recommendations for preventing and treating malaria. Other revisions
are also included. |
|
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader