British National Formulary for Children

BNF for Children (BNFC) is the standard UK paediatric reference for prescribing and pharmacology.

It contains a wide range of information and advice on prescribing for children - from newborn to adolescence. The entries are classified by group of drug, giving cautions for use, side effects, indications and dose for most of the drugs available for children in the UK National Health Service. It also includes information on the unlicensed uses of certain drugs. Though published in and for the United Kingdom, the vast bulk of the clinical information will apply in any country.

Authorship and Publication
The BNFC is jointly published annually by BMJ (owned by the BMA), Pharmaceutical Press (owned by the RPS), Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group. The principal contributors are acknowledged in the front pages.

It is overseen by the BNFC Paediatric Formulary Committee and edited by a team of pharmacists.

History
The BNF for Children developed from the British National Formulary (BNF), which prior to 2005 had provided information on the treatment of children, with the doses largely determined by calculations based on the body weight of the child. The guidance was provided by pharmacists and doctors whose expertise was in the care of adults.

This was an anomaly, as in relation to responses to medicines, the difference between a newborn and a sixteen-year-old is greater than the difference between a sixteen-year-old and a sixty-year-old. Starting in 2002, Prof Martin Kendall, then chairman of the BNF Joint Formulary Committee worked to get things changed.

The UK Department of Health (now the DHSC) agreed to fund the BNFC, as it does the BNF, to ensure that NHS clinicians can have up-to-date information in their pockets.

The first edition was published in 2005, with George Rylance chairing the Paediatric Formulary Committee and Dinesh Mehta as the first executive editor. Anne, the Princess Royal attended the launch on 14 July.

Editions
The BNFC is published annually, but electronic updates are produced monthly. The current 2022-2023 edition was published in September 2022.

Availability
Though not aimed at the general public, the BNFC, like the BNF, is available for purchase.

It is provided to NHS staff - usually through their employer, but may be accessed online through MedicinesComplete.

The app is available through the usual app stores.

Contents

 * How BNF publications are constructed
 * How to use BNF Publications in print
 * Changes
 * Guidance on Prescribing
 * Prescription writing
 * Supply of medicines
 * Emergency supply of medicines
 * Controlled drugs and drug dependence
 * Adverse reactions to drugs
 * Guidance on intravenous infusions
 * Prescribing in hepatic impairment
 * Prescribing in renal impairment
 * Prescribing in pregnancy
 * Prescribing in breast-feeding
 * Prescribing in palliative care
 * Drugs and sport
 * Medicines optimisation
 * Antimicrobial stewardship
 * Prescribing in dental practice
 * NOTES ON DRUGS AND PREPARATIONS
 * 1 Gastro-intestinal system
 * 2 Cardiovascular system
 * 3 Respiratory system
 * 4 Nervous system
 * 5 Infection
 * 6 Endocrine system
 * 7 Genito-urinary system
 * 8 Immune system and malignant disease
 * 9 Blood and nutrition
 * 10 Musculoskeletal system
 * 11 Eye
 * 12 Ear, nose and oropharynx
 * 13 Skin
 * 14 Vaccines
 * 15 Anaesthesia
 * 16 Emergency treatment of poisoning
 * APPENDICES AND INDICES
 * Interactions
 * Borderline substances
 * Cautionary and advisory labels for dispensed medicines
 * Dental Practitioners’ Formulary
 * Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary
 * Non-medical prescribing
 * Index of manufacturers
 * Special-order Manufacturers
 * Index
 * Medical emergencies in the community