Selected items from the News and Latest Additions sections of www.palliativedrugs.com, the world’s leading palliative care website.
Hot topics
NICE consultation on enhancing the BNF with other prescribing resources: an opportunity to lobby for the Palliative Care Formulary
NICE has opened a consultation on the future format of the British National Formulary (BNF) and how it can enhance the information it provides by linking to other authoritative sources of prescribing information. This provides an opportunity for health professionals to highlight to NICE the value of the Palliative Care Formulary (PCF).We encourage health professionals to respond to the consultation and suggest that linking to the on-line PCF would enhance the BNF. This can only help in our endeavours to secure a national subscription and provide, once more, free-access for UK health professionals.The feedback form takes 5–10min to complete and comprises a tick box question on how you currently access the BNF followed by three short questions. The consultation closes at 9am 31 March 2014.
SIGN guidance on lung cancer updated
The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) have updated their guideline on the management of lung cancer (SIGN 137). This supersedes SIGN 80.
First ever Global Atlas identifies unmet need for palliative care
A new publication mapping the provision of palliative care around the world has been published jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance (WPCA). The Global Atlas identifies that only 1 in 10 people who need palliative care are receiving it, and calls on all countries to include palliative care as an essential component to every modern healthcare system. The importance of palliative care is also being emphasized by the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2013–2020 and the most recent WHO essential medicines list which includes a specific section on medicines for palliative care (see our news item 18 July 2013). The documents can be downloaded from the links below.
Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020
Prepared by Sarah Charlesworth and Andrew Wilcock