British National Formulary prescribing

The greatest influence on doctors to prescribe well is the provision of high quality information. This has been achieved over the last decades by the British National Formulary BNF. 

Joint Formulary Committee. British National Formulary 55. London British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, March 2008. McBride D. Talking to patients about pelvic inflammatory disease. Prescriber 5 April 2004 18-23. 

For the practising doctor (in the UK) the British National Formulary provides a regularly updated and comprehensive list of drugs in their nonproprietary (generic) and proprietary names. The range of drugs prescribed by any individual is... 

The greatest care in prescribing for these patients is required if serious illness is to be avoided. Patients (1 in 10 000 UK population) are so highly vulnerable that lists of drugs known or believed to be unsafe are available, e.g. in the British National Formulary. Additionally, we provide a table of drugs considered safe for use in the acute porphyrias at the time of publication (Table 8.2). The list is revised... 

UK prescribers can find general advice in the British National Formulary. 

The British National Formulary also contains advice for prescribers on how to write both hand-written and computer-generated prescriptions clearly. 

It is important that pharmacists are aware of the contents of their respective parts of the Drug Tariff. The Drug Tariff is updated on a monthly basis and so is the primary reference source for information on drugs and other substances not to be prescribed on an NHS prescription form. However, the British National Formulary does also indicate if an item is not to be prescribed on the NHS by annotating the monograph in the text with a crossed-out NHS (see Figure 2.4). 

Figure 2.4 This entry next to an item s monograph in the British National Formulary indicates that it is not to be prescribed on an NHS prescription form.

You may wish to advise the patient of other items that are available on NHS prescription forms for patients with gluten sensitive enteropathies. Where would you find the necessary information Information as to which products can be prescribed on an NHS prescription can be found by consulting the Drug Tariff (see Section 2.4). Specific foods (i.e. borderline substances) can be found in the respective parts of the Drug Tariff for England and Wales (see Section 2.4.1, Part XV) or the Northern Ireland Drug Tariff (see Section 2.4.2, Part X) or in Appendix 7 of the British National Formulary (see Section 2.6.1). 

The restrictions that control the supply of medicines to nurses refers to registered nurses who are qualified to order drugs, medicines and appliances from the Nurse Prescribers Formulary for Community Practitioners in current editions of the British National Formulary and Drug Tariff. 

British National Formulary 54th edition, Prescribing in palliative care and section 4.7.2... 

It is important to prepare for the consultation, as quite often you will be interrupting a busy surgery. There are two main issues the patient and the drug. Before speaking to the prescriber you need to obtain the complete picture and formulate plans. References need to be checked, such as the British National Formulary, summary of product characteristics, other drug information, etc. You also need full information with regard to the patient, name, address, age, most of which will be available from the prescription. The NHS number (or equivalent) for the patient should also be available. 

The British National Formulary has classified this product as less suitable for prescribing and states that other more effective treatments are available. 

In 1994, district nurses, midwives and health visitors were allowed to prescribe from a limited formulary of dressings, appliances and some medicines until extended formulary nurse prescribing was introduced in 2002. This allowed registered nurses to prescribe from the nurse prescribers extended formulary, which included treatment for minor ailments, minor injuries, health promotion and palliative care. This formulary was gradually expanded over the next few years and listed in the British National Formulary BNF). 

British National Formulary (BNF) Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines... 

If no response after 1-2 days, your consultant may prescribe above-British National Formulary (BNF) doses, e.g. 8-24 mg/day, monitoring closely for respiratory depression... 

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