Prescribing medicines for children : from drug development to practical administration

Text includes: General principles of clinical pharmacology; Pharmacokinetics: an overview; Drug absorption; Drug distribution: from birth to adolescence; Drug metabolism; Drug elimination; Pharmacodynamics: practical examples; Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics; Modelling and simulation: pharmacometrics; Adverse drug reactions; Drug interactions; Pregnancy and lactation; Paediatric clinical pharmacology; Education: training programmes and competencies; The paediatric drug discovery pipeline; Understanding phase/clinical trials; Early phase clinical trials: adaptive designs; Phase IV studies and pharmacovigilance; Non-interventional studies; Pharmacoepidemiology; Innovative strategies in paediatric drug development; The role of the pharmaceutical industry in developing medicines for children; Paediatric drug formulations; Extemporaneous preparations of medicines for children; Excipients in medicines for children; The role of parents and children in paediatric medicines research; The ethics of medicines research in children; Evidence-based prescribing; Improving training in prescribing; Electronic prescribing; Avoiding medication errors; Intravenous medicines administration; Team working in medicines administration; Evidence-based formularies; Therapeutic drug monitoring; Medicines for children in low to middle income countries; Optimal prescribing in the resource-poor setting; Gastrontestinal system; Cardiovascular system; Respiratory system; Antiepileptic drug therapy; Prescribing in infection: antibacterials.

The aim of this book is to improve understanding in all aspects of paediatric prescribing, from the development of suitable drugs through to their practical administration. With its origins in the EU-funded Global Research in Paediatrics (GRiP) project this is the first truly international textbook to provide guidance on the principles behind optimal neonatal and paediatric prescribing. Harnessing the international expertise of paediatricians and pharmacists in the field, this book compliments the British National Formulary for Children (BNFC), facilitating translation of essential pharmacological principles into good prescribing practice. It incorporates specific information on how to promote safe and effective prescribing in paediatrics, including how to avoid medication errors and adverse drug reactions in children. Highlights include the differences in prescribing habits between countries and the shared principles that underpin rational prescribing in paediatrics and neonatology.