page11
Literature
Staff
editors
monitor
core medical
and
pharmaceutical
journals.
Research papers and reviews
relating to drug therapy are carefully processed. When a
difference between the advice in the BNF and the paper
is noted,
the new information is assessed for reliability
and relevance to UK clinical practice. If necessary, new
text is drafted and discussed with expert advisers and
the Joint Formulary Committee. The BNF enjoys a close
working relationship with a number of national informa-
tion providers.
Systematic reviews
The BNF has access to various
databases
of
systematic
reviews
(including
the
Cochrane Library and various web-based resources).
These
are
used for
answering specific
queries,
for
reviewing existing text and for constructing new text.
Staff editors receive training in critical appraisal,
litera-
ture evaluation,
and search strategies.
Reviews pub-
lished in Clinical
Evidence are used to validate BNF
advice.
Consensus guidelines
The advice in the BNF is
checked against
consensus
guidelines
produced by
expert bodies.
A number of bodies make drafts or pre-
publication copies of
the guidelines available to the
BNF; it is therefore possible to ensure that a consistent
message is disseminated.
The BNF routinely processes
guidelines from the National
Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence (NICE), the Scottish Medicines Con-
sortium (SMC),
and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guide-
lines Network (SIGN).
Reference sources
Textbooks and reference sources
are used to provide background information for
the
review of
existing text
or for the construction of
new
text.
The BNF team works closely with the editorial
team that
produces
Martindale:
The Complete Drug
Reference
. The BNF has access to
Martindale
informa-
tion resources and each team keeps the other informed
of
significant developments and shifts in the trends of
drug usage.
Statutory information
The BNF routinely processes
relevant information from various Government bodies
including Statutory Instruments and regulations affect-
ing the Prescription only Medicines Order. Official com-
pendia
such as
the
British Pharmacopoeia
and its
addenda are processed routinely to ensure that
the
BNF complies with the relevant sections of
the Medi-
cines Act.
The BNF itself is named as an official
com-
pendium in the Medicines Act.
The BNF maintains close links with the Home Office (in
relation to controlled drug regulations)
and the Medi-
cines
and
Healthcare
products
Regulatory
Agency
(including
the
British
Pharmacopoeia
Commission).
Safety warnings issued by the Commission on Human
Medicines (CHM) and guidelines on drug use issued by
the UK health departments are processed as a matter of
routine.
Relevant
professional
statements issued by the Royal
Pharmaceutical Society are included in the BNF as are
guidelines from bodies such as the Royal
College of
General Practitioners.
The BNF reflects information from the Drug Tariff, the
Scottish Drug Tariff,
and the Northern Ireland Drug
Tariff.
Pricing information
NHS Prescription Services (from
the NHS Business Services Authority) provides informa-
tion on prices of medicinal
products and appliances in
the BNF.
Comments from readers
Readers of
the BNF are
invited to send in comments.
Numerous letters and
emails
are received during the preparation of
each
edition.
Such feedback helps to ensure that
the BNF
provides practical
and clinically relevant
information.
Many changes in the presentation and scope of the BNF
have resulted from comments sent in by users.
Comments from industry
Close scrutiny of the BNF
by the manufacturers provides an additional check and
allows them an opportunity to raise issues about
the
BNF’s presentation of
the role of various drugs;
this is
yet another check on the balance of the BNF’s advice.
All
comments
are looked at
with care and,
where
necessary,
additional
information and expert
advice
are sought.
Virtual user groups
The BNF has set up virtual user
groups across various healthcare professions (e.g.
doc-
tors,
pharmacists,
nurses,
dentists).
The aim of
these
groups will
be to provide feedback to the editors and
publishers to ensure that BNF publications continue to
serve the needs of its users.
Market research
Market
research is conducted at
regular intervals to gather feedback on specific areas of
development,
such as drug interactions or changes to
the way information is presented in digital formats.
The BNF is an independent professional publication
that is kept up-to-date and addresses the day-to-day
prescribing information needs of healthcare profes-
sionals.
Use of
this resource throughout the health
service helps
to ensure that
medicines
are used
safely,
effectively,
and appropriately.
BNF 61
ix