How to prevent unaccounted-for losses of controlled drugs Harold Shipman, known as Britain’s most prolific serial killer, was successful in diverting a large quantity of controlled drugs (CDs) for his own criminal purposes. The subsequent enquiry against him highlighted major limitations in the information available to audit the prescribing and supply of controlled drugs. This…
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Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects approximately one in every 500 people in the UK. It is more prevalent in men than in women and it usually starts after the age of 50. PD is caused by the loss of neurons in the substantia nigra in the brain, which is usually…
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We mentioned this in a previous newsletter but another query has come in from our hospices which has led to a more thorough review. Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease and work by blocking the transport of acid into the stomach to decrease the acidity. They are used widely in…
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Advance planning for flu vaccination clinics has become an important part of patient care. The flu vaccination delivered in the following year provides vulnerable patients with protection against the strands of flu that are going to be the most prevalent over the next year. This is even more important this year, as hospitals deal with…
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All drugs have a scientific name based on its organic chemistry. And even though morphine can be written simply as C17H19NO3, to also accurately describe its structure it needs to go by (4R,4aR,7S,7aR,12bS)-3-Methyl-2,3,4,4a,7,7a-hexahydro-1H-4,12-methanobenzofuro[3,2-e]isoquinoline-7,9-diol which by any standards is a bit of a mouthful. For this reason, drugs are given a shorter ‘generic’ name. Drugs of a similar class share the same stem, so for example a benzodiazepine will have the ending -azepam (clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam)…
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