The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacy - issues affecting you and your patients

The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
– Volume 1, Issue 6 June 2009

EDITOR'S COMMENTS
	A spectrum of skills

NEWS
	'Pharmacist' title to remain restricted
	Sunitinib increases overall survival rate in patients with renal cell carcinoma
	Thromboembolic risks remain high after valve surgery despite heparin use

CLINICAL UPDATE
	New NICE guidelines for type II diabetes treatment Guidelines on the drug treatment of patients with type II diabetes were published last month by NICE. They clarify the place of the newer anti-hyperglycaemic drugs and expand the indications for insulin analogues. Natasha Jacques summarises the key changes.

THERAPEUTICS
	Therapeutic drug monitoring - a vital pharmacy role Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is important for the optimal dosing of a wide range of drugs. This article introduces the principles of TDM and is followed by a case study. By David Jones.


CASE STUDY
	Adjusting phenytoin doses in a patient with co-morbidities This article describes the application of therapeutic drug monitoring to achieve optimal dosing of phenytoin in an elderly patient with co-morbid conditions. By David Jones.

DRUG APPRAISAL
	An evaluation of montelukast for paediatric asthma Montelukast is a leukotriene receptor antagonist licensed for the prophylaxis of asthma in children. Here, the North Central London Formulary and Medicines Management Group assess the efficacy of montelukast in addition to, and as an alternative to inhaled corticosteroids.

POLICY
	Why we need to compare medicines use in hospitals Medicines spend in secondary care is likely to be scrutinised increasingly in the future. Ron Pate and Ray Fitzpatrick explain the need for a national data set and hospital prescribing indicators.

PROFILE
	Tackling health inequalities in patients with diabetes Alia Gilani has been working as a health inequalities pharmacist for the past seven years. This article describes recent advances in her work, which now includes a service for all ethnic minorities taking long-term medication and help for asylum seekers. By Shona Kirk.

PRESCRIBER'S CORNER
	Managing diabetes in a patient at risk of fractures Prescriber’s Corner describes situations encountered by pharmacist prescribers and invites you to consider clinical decisions about the patient. In this case, you are reviewing a patient with osteoporosis who is taking oral hypoglycaemic drugs for type II diabetes.

SHARING PRACTICE
	An audit of knowledge and treatment of hypoglycaemia Hypoglycaemia in patients with diabetes is often poorly treated and documented. Elizabeth Hackett describes steps taken at a large teaching hospital to improve monitoring and staff education.

MEETINGS
	Leadership in action Examples of good leadership and innovative research were showcased at this year’s joint Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists and UK Clinical Pharmacy Association conference. By Shona Kirk Reducing costs to make a difference to patient care The importance of patient and staff engagement was discussed at this year’s Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists Procurement and Distribution Interest Group summer symposium. By Shona Kirk.

LETTERS
	Readers’ letters

OPINION
	It’s not what we call it - it’s the way that we do it! Whether we practice ‘clinical pharmacy’, ‘public health’ or ‘pharmaceutical care’, our developing roles remain underpinned by the pharmaceutical sciences, says Catherine Duggan Are dispensing errors and jail sentences inevitable? Decriminalisation of dispensing errors could be viewed as reducing the responsibilities of pharmacists to their patients. The priority should be the safety of the dispensing process, says Philip Brown.

The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacy is an editorially independent publication. Copyright of the The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacy. No reproduction in any format is allowed unless permission is granted by the publisher.