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drugs are pr able without prescription for self able without pres of complaints. Some of these of complaints. prescription drugs but wer prescription d and useful for patients wi useful for pat Although OTC drugs Although OTC drug taken as directed, nu taken as directed, n related to OTC dr related to OTC d • Taking these of underlying • Tak 10 PART I — Introduction to Nursing Pharmacology The British National Formulary The nurse must refer to the latest edition of the BNF to obtain the specifi c details required for safe and effective drug administration. Updated on a 6-monthly basis, the BNF provides an up-to-date and comprehensive drug guide for use by prescribers and other health care professionals in the clinical setting. The BNF is also available on the Internet. The prescriber is provided with details of: • Indications , that is the disease(s) the drug is approved to treat. • Contraindications , that is those individuals where taking a specifi c drug could affect a pre-existing medical condition. • Cautions , where taking the drug could increase the risk of unwanted effects in certain patients, for example those patients who are pregnant or have diabetes. • Interactions lists the possible interactions with any medicines the patients may be taking. • Side-effects include the side-effects observed in patients taking this drug. • Costs of all of the drugs available on the NHS. The BNF for Children provides equivalent information on medicines approved for children. Package Inserts All drugs come with a package insert prepared by the manufacturer according to regulations laid down by the regulatory authorities. The package insert contains information for patients on: • what the medicine is, • how the medicine works, • the infections/diseases the medicine can be used to treat, • cautions to patients regarding pre-existing conditions or potential interactions with other medicines, • how to administer the medicine together with any possible cautions to be taken into consideration, for example do not wear contact lenses while you are using an antibacterial treatment for conjunctivitis, • possible side-effects, • how to store the medicine. Nurses should encourage their patients to read these inserts before commencing treatment. Publications • The Journal of Advanced Nursing is an international, peer-reviewed, scientifi c journal. The published articles aim to advance knowledge in a number of areas, including practice, education, management and policy. • The British Journal of Nursing is a peer-reviewed scientifi c journal published fortnightly. The evidencebased articles are written by nurses and provide practical recommendations. • Drug Safety Update is a monthly newsletter from the MHRA and the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) . This newsletter provides updated information on specifi c medicines and key points on studies of the safety of medicines. • Nursing Times is published on a weekly basis and provides information on research studies and clinical articles to nurses at all levels, including those in training. Internet Information There are many Internet sites available for obtaining drug information, patient information or therapeutic information related to specifi c disease states. Many members of the public now use the Internet as a source of medical information and advice. It is a good idea for the nurse to become familiar with what is available on the Internet and what patients may be referencing. Information presented on Internet sites is less likely to be peer-reviewed and therefore the accuracy of the information must be questioned. In each chapter the reader is guided towards appropriate and reliable Internet sites related to the chapter content. WEB LINKS Health care providers may want to consult the following Internet sources: http://bnfc.org.uk The BNF for Children provides UK health care professionals with information on suitable drugs for treating children. http://cks.library.nhs.uk The NHS Clinical Knowledge Summaries provides evidence-based practical information on the common conditions observed in primary care. http://www.bnf.org.uk The BNF provides UK health care professionals with authoritative and practical information on the selection and clinical use of medicines. http://www.dh.gov.uk The Department of
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