British National Formulary
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Current revision
The British National Formulary (BNF) contains a wide spectrum of information on prescribing and pharmacology, among others indications, side effects and costs of the prescription of all medications available on the National Health Service. It is used by doctors and other prescribers (such as nurses and pharmacists) to help them select appropriate treatments for their patients; and is used as a general reference book on the wards by nurses who administer medications.
The BNF is jointly published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and the British Medical Association. A new edition is published approximately once every six months.
There are several sister publications - The British National Formulary for Children (BNF-C), is produced, and details drugs and their doses/uses in children; as well as two editions specially for nurses - The Nurse Prescriber's Formulary and the Extended Nurse Prescriber's Formulary, although with the recent changes to allow Extended Nurse Prescribers to prescribe from the full BNF, the fate of the latter publication is in some doubt.
Current editions
As of March 2006 the current edition is v51