Pink Book General Advice and Introduction

Prescribing Instructions for Medicines

The flowchart summarising use of medicines outside the Hospital Medicines List (HML) has been updated. The added text is:

Tip: if the medicine for acute care may also be required for chronic treatment, seek advice from Clinical Pharmacology or Pharmacy.

This is highlighted because using the CDHB rapid NPPA application for medicines that may be required long term in the community can lead to medicine access issues for the patient. This needs to be weighed with the acute need, to decide the most appropriate application process.

Antimicrobial Guidelines

See bulletin for recent Antimicrobial Stewardship activities describing and quantifying the quality of antimicrobial prescribing in adult inpatients at Christchurch Hospital.

Prescribing Guidelines

Prescribing in the Frail and Elderly

Reviewed. Title and content amended to include frailty. Added content for falls risk, delirium, changing dose forms and patient medicine management.

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Guideline

Reviewed. All reference to the paper ADR reporting form (QMR0128) has been removed. This form is no longer used. All ADR reporting is electronic via the ADR form on the intranet or specific COVID reporting form.

Drug-specific Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) information

Metformin details added to table.

Pharmacokinetic Table

Glibenclamide

Reviewed

Gliclazide

Reviewed

Glipizide

Reviewed

Metformin

Reviewed

The format of the mobile-friendly Pharmacokinetic Table has been reviewed and changed.