Assessing and managing patients with leg ulceration and oedema

Arterial ulcers develop as a consequence of reduced arterial blood flow to the leg, the main cause of which is peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD affects up to 20% of the population aged 60 years...

Responsible prescribing for cosmetic procedures

The use of prescription only medicines (POMs) within the aesthetic sector has come under scrutiny by professional statutory regulators, by professional associations and by the media following the...

Ionising radiation in urology: consideration of individuals of childbearing age

Radiation generally refers to energy emitted from a source, such as light or heat from the sun, gamma waves from radioactive elements, or X-rays from an X-ray tube. Ionising radiation is radiation...

BOOK REVIEW

The comprehensive overview to non-medical prescribing, The Textbook of Non-Medical Prescribing (Third Edition), provides readers with the key principles, knowledge and skills that underpin prescribing...

The consequences of online prescribing

Revisiting the basics

Mrs Smith is awaiting discharge following an uneventful appendectomy two days ago. You are writing a discharge prescription for analgesia. You prescribe co-codamol 30/500 mg tablets, 1-2 tablets...

Drug Breakdown: Mercaptopurine

Day 1: A metabolite of azathioprine, #mercaptopurine was discovered to be an immunosuppressant circa 1950s. The role for #mercaptopurine developed in leukaemias (acute and maintenance therapy) and...

Opioid prescribing raises concerns

There appear to be high rates of hospital admissions for drug misuse poisoning in areas with high levels of opioid prescription (Burns, 2019). Although local authority spokespeople claim there is no...

Drug breakdown: Spironolactone

Antibiotic awareness and preventing further antimicrobial resistance

The development of antibiotics has been revolutionary for medicine and public health. However, given the resistance that is now building up against them, we are facing one of the most significant and...

Ethics and pharmacy

‘If a pharmacy professional is unwilling to provide a certain service, they should take steps to make sure the person asking for care is at the centre of their decision-making’ .

Christmas calculations

Your turkey instructions advise you to cook the bird for 40 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes..

Effective pharmaceutical management of Acute Otitis Externa: guidance and prescribing considerations

Topical antibiotic therapy is a well-established and effective treatment for uncomplicated AOE. Many clinical trials have shown topical preparations to be effective, with excellent bacteriologic...

Human immunodeficiency virus: A review into treatment

Epidemiology is the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why they occur (Cogan et al, 2003). Epidemiological data can be used to plan and evaluate strategies that can...