Product Description

Safe and effective prescribing is a cornerstone of proper patient care. There has recently been a significant increase in the numbers of health care professionals able to prescribe; however, sources of drug information tend to focus on only one area of prescribing. This book links practical information about how to use medicines with concise details about their pharmacology and the principles of clinical pharmacology that govern their actions. The overall structure of this handbook is similar to that of the British National Formulary, with monographs on each drug arranged broadly by therapeutic category. When a drug has several different uses, these are brought together in a single monograph, allowing the reader to appreciate its full range of actions, whether therapeutic or adverse. Each drug entry provides the following information in a clearly laid out and standardized form: * A graphical representation of the pharmacological actions of the drug, with its potential uses * Practical advice on usage for a drug's major indications * A list of the most common and serious adverse effects, with frequencies and action to take * Major drug-drug interactions * Practical advice on monitoring for therapeutic and adverse effects * Patient information - what you should tell your patients Teaching points throughout the text draw out pharmacological principles, so that readers can increase their basic knowledge by linking theory with practical examples. Also included are several boxes giving guidance on the approach to therapy of specific diseases and clinical problems. In some case algorithms for the treatment of medical emergencies are also given. The Oxford Handbook of Practical Drug Therapy brings together for the first time in a single book really practical information on safe prescribing with the background knowledge that underpins clinical pharmacology.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84350 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 720 pages

Review
This is an ideal book to have ... and quickly refer to while on the wards ... it does the job superbly. It does what it says on the cover 'practical drug therapy'.Those in their clinical years of medical school and perhaps house-officers would find this a useful companion. (GKT Gazette )

A concise guide on the pharmacology of drugs and their most common and appropriate usesThis book is appropriately clinically orientated and satisfactorily examines various clinical outcome of drug therapyIt is an excellent reference guide for medical students and junior doctors, I wholeheartedly recommend it. (ICSM Gazette Autumn 2005 )

About the Author
Duncan Richards, Clinical Lecturer, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Oxford, UK

Customer Reviews

a nice idea, poorly executed....
Another in the burgeoning series of oxford handbooks. This title aims at summarising useful pharmacology and practical prescribing in a handy pocket sized book; primarily for medical students and junior doctors.

In line with others in the series, each drug is generally allowed a double page spread. Various details are then presented in a standardized format, the same for every drug. Seemingly at random there are 'teaching points' throughout the book aimed at giving you that extra bit of practical insight.

Unfortunately the standardized approach becomes repetitious; for each drug in a class, e.g. antiemetic, most of the page is taken up with general information that is the same for each drug and is therefore reproduced many times over. This makes it very frustrating to read as you trudge through generalistic comments, in search of some actual real info on that drug.
The supposedly hand picture symbols used throughout the book are also useless.

In comparison, the BNF structure has been honed over many years - general information is presented on a class and THEN specific information is given. The authors are obviously conscious of not trying to reproduce the BNF and have adopted the opposite system as described above.

The pharmacology information, which is really where the book could shine is a major letdown; being rather unsubstantive and brief.

The book also does not give exhaustive lists of side-effects and therefore misses out some very important side-effects.

In the end, when it comes to prescribing you have to rely on the BNF. It would be foolhardy to base prescrbing on this book. The BNF is a vast pocket sized resource on PRACTICAL prescribing. Pharmacology is best learnt from a specific book such as pharmacology at a glance.

Overall, the book is largely obselete and dogged by an inherently poor structure.

practical indeed !!
ok here is the deal with the OHPDT, it is not a pharmacology textbook neither it aims to offer an exhaustive coverage of each drug class...if you want these just buy Goodman & Gillman 's and knock yourself out!

It offers a short but clinicaly oriented coverage of how to use a drug in every day practise..all those "do's" and "dont's" ,what to be careful of, the contraindications,when and how to follow up the patient, what advise should be given and all those every day questions that may arise in a junior doctor's head when first starts prescribing

let me tell you, after reading it you will feel a lot more confident prescribing drugs...an excellent book,its 5 stars all the way!