BNF for Children 2011-2012

BNFC 2011–2012 Prescription writing 5exception is where there is a demonstrable difference inclinical effect between each manufacturer’s version ofthe formulation, making it important that the childshould always receive the same brand; in such cases,the brand name or the manufacturer should be stated.Non-proprietary names of compound preparationsNon-proprietary names of compound preparationswhich appear in BNF for Children are those thathave been compiled by the British PharmacopoeiaCommission or another recognised body; wheneverpossible they reflect the names of the active ingredients.Prescribers should avoid creating their own compoundnames for the purposes of generic prescribing;such names do not have an approveddefinition and can be misinterpreted.Special care should be taken to avoid errors whenprescribing compound preparations; in particularthe hyphen in the prefix ‘co-’ should be retained.Special care should also be taken to avoid creatinggeneric names for modified-release preparationswhere the use of these names could lead to confusionbetween formulations with different duration ofaction.Strengths and quantities The strength or quantityto be contained in capsules, lozenges, tablets, etc.should be stated by the prescriber. In particular,strengths of liquid preparations should be clearly stated(e.g. 125 mg/5 mL).Prescription writing