UPDATES

Improving and expanding existing methods to prevent infections, such as hand hygiene, regular cleaning and sterilisation of equipment in healthcare facilities, availability of safe drinking water,...

Reinforcing the role of early glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes

The landmark UK prospective diabetes glucose-control studies carried out over 20 years, with data from 1977 to 1997 and published in 1998 were the first to show that complications from diabetes are...

Tafamidis use in amyloid cardiomyopathy

This study, published in the journal Cardiology and Therapy, sought to determine real-world prescribing patterns of tafamidis with respect to patient characteristics and persistency. Using a...

Calculating the half-life of medications

Half-life is the time taken for the concentration of drug in the plasma to fall by half. It is important for prescribers to have knowledge of the concept of half-life, in order to understand the...

Bacteriophages

The World Health Organization (WHO) has described antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the top global public health and development threats, reporting that ‘bacterial AMR was directly responsible...

A–Z of prescribing for children

Since the discovery of the smallpox vaccine in the late 18th century, it is still estimated that 20% of deaths in children under 5 years of age are due to diseases that can be prevented by current...

Antibiotic use in the emergency department for acute sore throat

Descriptive statistics were used to describe frequency of clinical score documentation, symptom documentation and antibiotic prescription rates. The initial plan to ascertain non-inferiority...

Mismatched expectations: experiences of nurses returning to prescribing

If active prescribers using their qualification feel a lack of confidence, it could be deduced that this would be similar or increased for those who have not been actively using their qualification....

Calculating the half-life of medications: answers

Moving for mental health

Mental Health Awareness Week takes place this year from 13–19 May. The theme, as set by the Mental Health Foundation, is ‘Movement: moving for our mental health.’ This year, the Foundation says ‘We...

LEVODOPA

Day 1: Still the mainstay of Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment, #levodopa was extracted from faba bean seedlings in the early 20C. It was deployed in the 1960s with dramatic ‘wakening’ effects on...

Prescribing fluoroquinolone: from revolutionary to restricted

In the UK, there are currently five fluoroquinolones licensed for use, which can be taken orally, given intravenously or via inhalation. These include the most common, ciprofloxacin, which is used to...