More than one in six unvaccinated people report health effects of COVID-19 2 years after infection, study finds

‘Understanding the trajectory of symptom burden and recovery from long COVID is crucial for policy making, treatment decisions, and care co-ordination’ .

Statin prescribing practice

This article in the journal JAMA Cardiology presents the findings of a cluster randomised clinical trial involving 4131 patients from 28 primary care practices and 158 clinicians between October 2019...

A brief history of handwashing

Obstetrician Ignatz Philipp Semmelweis (1818–1865) was the first person to demonstrate by experiment that handwashing can prevent infections. In May 1847, he instigated a chlorine-based handwashing...

Safe repeat prescribing systems

The following scenario shows the prescribing cost of three medicines in general practice over a 1-month period. Work out the monthly cost savings after reviewing each prescription..

Using insulin to manage type 2 diabetes

The pharmacological pathway in the NICE guidelines on T2DM (NG28) is metformin as first line, or a choice of sulfonylurea (SU), pioglitazone, DPP-4 inhibitor, or SGLT-2 inhibitor if metformin not...

Prescribing intravenous fluids: a review

Powell et al (2014) identified that the majority of medical textbooks available in the UK are insufficient in providing knowledge around the considerations for the prescription of intravenous fluids....

An overview of prescribing practice and non-pharmacological treatments in COPD

The main goals of COPD treatment include controlling symptoms, and improving exercise capacity and lung function, while preventing and reducing the occurrence of exacerbations, hospital admissions and...

Safe repeat prescribing systems: answers

UPDATES

The Isotretinoin Expert Working Group of the Commission on Human Medicines has made recommendations to strengthen the safety of isotretinoin treatment. Recommendations include new warnings, the need...

Contraceptive services for women in the UK

Welcome to the May issue of Journal of Prescribing Practice, my first since taking the reins as editor last month. This edition of the journal has a focus on sexual health and contraception in women...

Drug Breakdown: Minoxidil

Day 1: A vasodilator derived from diallylmelamine in 1960s was found to have a BP lowering effect & #minoxidil was licensed 1970s. Long-term use revealed side-effect of hypertrichosis & trials for...

Examining sustainable practice in prescribing

This article, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, sought to identify the barriers to prescribing more environmentally friendly inhalers (Parker, 2023). One of the drivers for this article was...