Generalised anxiety disorder: is NICE guidance the best advice?
Sertraline is recommended as the first-line pharmacological option for the management of generalised anxiety disorder, based on cost-effectiveness data. Should we blindly follow this advice from NICE?
Job-sharing and independent prescribing: no Man is an island
A hospital chemotherapy service on the Isle of Man has benefited from the introduction of non-medical prescribing. Here, two pharmacist independent prescribers describe how they share such a role
Ways clinical pharmacists can add value in intermediate care settings
Patients in intermediate care are "low risk" with regard to medicines issues so they have little need for a clinical pharmacy service, right? A team of pharmacists from Harrow wish to argue otherwise
Is there a place for therapeutic drug monitoring of olanzapine?
November 2011The relationship between olanzapine dose and plasma concentration is not simple and may be affected by factors such as age, sex and smoking status. So when is therapeutic drug monitoring useful?
How to get useful information out of drug reports — and save time
June 2011Pharmacy departments are under pressure to provide an ever-increasing range of detailed reports on drug use and expenditure
High-intensity evidence underpins the use of high-intensity statins
May 2011Evidence now strongly supports the use of high-intensity statin therapy for patients following an acute coronary syndrome, it is argued here. But, whatever the approach, treatment should be individualised
Could logarithmic dosing change the way cytotoxics are prescribed?
April 2011Dose banding can simplify chemotherapy prescribing and production, but there are difficulties in standardising the concept across a range of drugs and different centres. Here a new approach is discussed
Time to strengthen the evidence base for paediatric formulations
January 2011Evidence-based prescribing for children can be challenging because of insufficient data on safety and efficacy, and a lack of suitable formulations. What is being done to address these issues?
Planning for discharge: the next step for medicines reconciliation
May 2010Ensuring that medicines reconciliation takes place for every patient admitted to hospital is an excellent start. But to complete the circle there needs to be a renewed focus on communication at discharge
How motivational interviewing can help patients change their lifestyles
January 2010
Telling people to quit smoking or take their medicines as prescribed is easy. Convincing them to do so is not so simple. Is there more that pharmacists can do to help patients lead healthier lifestyles?
Independent prescribing is neither for the faint-hearted...
November 2009UK pharmacists have been able to train as prescribers for several years. Here a consultant pharmacist for critical care describes the kind of interventions where independent prescribing comes into its own
Thromboprophylaxis plus lifestyle management equals holistic care
June 2009With the Government making separate calls for the NHS to tackle the incidence of obesity and venous thromboembolism, one trust offers a “two-birds-with-one-stone” approach to these problems
When is a medicine not a medicine? — when it is a device!
April 2009Medical devices that contain medicines pose a new set of challenges. Here, a pharmaceutical adviser shares his view of the issues
