''BNF for Children'' (''BNFC'') is the standard UK

paediatric Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

reference for prescribing and

pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...

. It contains a wide range of information and advice on prescribing for children - from newborn to adolescence. The entries are classified by group of drug, giving cautions for use,

side effect In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequence ...

s, indications and dose for most of the drugs available for children in the UK

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

. It also includes information on the unlicensed uses of certain drugs. Though published in and for the United Kingdom, the vast bulk of the clinical information will apply in any country.

Authorship and Publication

The ''BNFC'' is jointly published annually by BMJ (owned by the BMA),

Pharmaceutical Press {{Infobox publisher , image = , parent = Royal Pharmaceutical Society , status = , founded = 1841 , founder = , successor = , country = United Kingdom , headquarters = London , distribution = Macmilla ...

(owned by the RPS),

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, often referred to as the RCPCH, is the professional body for paediatricians (doctors specialising in child health) in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the postgraduate training of paed ...

, and the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group. The principal contributors are acknowledged in the front pages. It is overseen by the BNFC Paediatric Formulary Committee and edited by a team of

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

History

The BNF for Children developed from the British National Formulary (BNF), which prior to 2005 had provided information on the treatment of children, with the doses largely determined by calculations based on the body weight of the child. The guidance was provided by pharmacists and doctors whose expertise was in the care of adults. This was an anomaly, as in relation to responses to medicines, the difference between a newborn and a sixteen year old is greater than the difference between a sixteen year old and a sixty year old. Starting in 2002, Prof Martin Kendall, then chairman of the BNF Joint Formulary Committee worked to get things changed. The UK Department of Health (now the DHSC) agreed to fund the BNFC, as it does the BNF, to ensure that NHS clinicians can have up to date information in their pockets.
The first edition was published in 2005, with George Rylance chairing the Paediatric Formulary Committee and Dinesh Mehta as the first executive editor. Anne, the Princess Royal attended the launch on 14 July.

Editions

The BNFC is published annually, but electronic updates are produced monthly. The current 2022-2023 edition was published in September 2022.

Availability

Though not aimed at the general public, the BNFC, like the BNF, is available for purchase.
It is provided to NHS staff - usually through their employer, but may be accessed online through MedicinesComplete.
The app is available through the usual app stores.

* How BNF publications are constructed * How to use BNF Publications in print * Changes * Guidance on Prescribing * Prescription writing * Supply of medicines * Emergency supply of medicines * Controlled drugs and drug dependence * Adverse reactions to drugs * Guidance on intravenous infusions * Prescribing in hepatic impairment * Prescribing in renal impairment * Prescribing in pregnancy * Prescribing in breast-feeding * Prescribing in palliative care * Drugs and sport * Medicines optimisation * Antimicrobial stewardship * Prescribing in dental practice * NOTES ON DRUGS AND PREPARATIONS * 1 Gastro-intestinal system * 2 Cardiovascular system * 3 Respiratory system * 4 Nervous system * 5 Infection * 6 Endocrine system * 7 Genito-urinary system * 8 Immune system and malignant disease * 9 Blood and nutrition * 10 Musculoskeletal system * 11 Eye * 12 Ear, nose and oropharynx * 13 Skin * 14 Vaccines * 15 Anaesthesia * 16 Emergency treatment of poisoning * APPENDICES AND INDICES * Interactions * Borderline substances * Cautionary and advisory labels for dispensed medicines * Dental Practitioners’ Formulary * Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary * Non-medical prescribing * Index of manufacturers * Special-order Manufacturers * Index * Medical emergencies in the community

References

{{reflist

External links

Pharmaceutical Press

BNF

BNFC

Neonatal & Paediatric Pharmacists Group

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

British Medical Association
Pharmacology literature Pharmaceuticals policy Professional associations based in the United Kingdom Pharmacy in the United Kingdom