Dominic Haigh, University of Birmingham

Pharmaceutical Practice has been fairly extensively re-edited since the last edition, as is necessary when you have 5 years gap in an age of increasing professional regulation. The terms continuing professional development, evidence-based practice and the dreaded fitness to practise. The book is organised into five sections: pharmacy practice and society; governance and good professional pharmaceutical practice; pharmacy prescribing and selection of medicines; dispensing and related pharmaceutical practice activities; and pharmacy services and monitoring the medicine taking patient. This text has a strong emphasis on aspects of the practice of pharmacy, rather than pharmacology or other basic science. However, it does include equations when required, such as Stokes' equation on the rate of sedimentation of a particle. The section on complementary and alternative medicine recognises that some are associated with serious adverse outcomes and a sound evidence base should be required in provision of medicines. There is discussion of the deregulation of medicines in terms of the move from prescription only medicines to pharmacy-distributed medicines, and the subsequent increase in workload and change in knock on effects on the role of the pharmacist. The names of manufacturers are used to some degree when there are clear leaders in the field, such as the creators of eyedrop containers, but are generally avoided throughout the book. Government initiatives are mentioned to make advice specific in some degree to practice in the UK, although the section on international practice spells out the limitations of this, and differences around the world. Overall, from the WHO Model Formulary to the Yellow Card, there is a wide range of reference material potentially useful to pharmacists and allied health professionals.

Posted 20th Apr 2010

Pauline Law, University of Dundee

This 643 page book is just packed with so much information about the practical aspects of dispensing and pharmacy that is not covered anywhere else for medical students but is still highly relevant. It is divided into 5 sections. The first covers the organisation of pharmacy practice, behavioural and social aspects of illness and patients. The second section looks at good professional practice and how clinical governance relates to this. Section 3 considers evidence based practice while section 4 looks at the practical aspects of dispensing and the calculations needed to fulfil prescriptions before looking at different types of pharmaceutical products in detail. Finally, section 5 considers how to meet the needs of specific groups and additional services in the community. This latest edition has been brought right up to date with the impact of the internet on pharmacy. If you only buy one book about pharmacy this year, it has to be this one!

Posted 18th Mar 2010

Adam Abbs, Hull York Medical School

What a hidden gem! This book is the Scrambler of pharmacy for medics. It includes all those things that you don't find in other "regular books". It's got things like: Health behaviour models Swiss-cheese models for errors Dosage adjustments How to workout quantities of drugs in different forms (ie powder, gel) Adverse events reporting and the MHRA Consent Controlled drugs Homeopathy At HYMS we're examined on all these, but I've previously had to search the internet looking at different websites to try to find the outcomes listed. I particularly like the example calculation exercises (more help for exams). My only criticism is that there is perhaps too much information for medical students and that alot of the info is more useful for pharmacists.

Posted 22nd Feb 2010