Medicines and prescribing

Medicines for Children

The vision: That any parent, wherever they are, have information on their child’s medicines that they need and can trust. Medicines information leaflets cover many of the medicines that are prescribed or recommended to children by health professionals. They answer your questions about how and when to give the medicine, what to do if you forget to give the medicine or give it twice, and any possible side-effects.

British National Formula for Children (BNFc)

Not only the latest prescription information related to children but also other useful resources including powerpoint presentations about prescribing, medication errors and a lot more.

Meds IQ

Medication errors are a significant but preventable cause of harm to children and young people. Meds IQ aims to bring together tools and improvement projects that have been developed to address this problem. The latest in College sponsored

Medicines for Children Research Network

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN) has been created to improve the co-ordination, speed and quality of randomised controlled trials and other well designed studies of medicines for children and adolescents, including those for prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Network has extensive knowledge and experience of paediatric research, and supports non-commercial, pharmaceutical/biotech-sponsored and investigator-led partnership studies in over 100 NHS sites in England that serve approximately 6 million children. The MCRN supports studies through its infrastructure, which includes the MCRN Coordinating Centre, Local Research Networks (LRNs), Clinical Studies Groups (CSGs), Clinical Trial Units (CTUs) and a Neonatal Network.

Educational websites (for professionals)

Sick of the spotted child

Following on from the well known 'spotting the sick child' CD, this is a new interactive tool commissioned by the Department of Health to support health professionals in the assessment of the acutely sick child. It is aimed at health professionals working with children in primary care and Emergency Departments and -best of all- now free to use (AFTER I joined and coughed up 5 quid).

Empem.org

An Australian paediatric emergency medicine website, by the looks of it pretty much run by one guy, Colin Parker. Excellent quality podcasts on paediatric topics (my favourite, the review of the Maitland paper on fluid resuscitation). And it’s also really relevant to Primary care and soooo funny!: Constipation, the big brown elephant in the room…

Paediatric Pearls

A brilliant website, run by the fabulous Julia Thompson. Especially the London crowd seems to be blogging away on it... One of my favourites.

LITFL: Life in the Fast Lane

The EDucationalists' self gratifying white noise aside, there are actually some really good resources for paediatricians and plenty of CPD to be had...after you reflected on your experiene, evidenced it and changed your practice, of course.

X-rays

Radiology cases in paediatric emergency medicine

Awarded the 1996 Professional Medical Education Award by the American Academy of Pediatrics and very rightly so: a vast number of clinical cases and x-rays. 

Radiopedia

Another websites with loads and loads of x-rays, not exclusively paediatric and not as comprehensive as the former but at least the website has migrated into the next century as far as webdesign is concerned. Are you also getting the adverts for things that I bought last week? Otherwise fairly annoyance free.

Parent and patient advice

Parenting and Child Health

Growth and development, parenting issues, lifestyle. Information leaflets and advice on almost all aspects of parenting and child health. This site is run by the South Australian government and also provide a large number of links to more resources. Why do the Aussies always seem to get it right?

Purple Crying

Yes! American yet common sense: it can be done! And this colleague certainly has pulled it off with this utterly sensible website aimed at those desparate parents with SCREAMING babies. A godsent for many a parent and a possible life saver... Not week passes without me recommending this website to parents.

NHS Choices

Boy, this resource has come a long way and it is absolutety fantabulous, restored my pride in the NHS: comprehensive, clear, evidence based information on almost anything medical. OK, there are some silly government sponsored nonsensities also but the good stuff is there!

Chronic fatigue/ME: AYME

AYME (pronounced ‘aim’) is the largest charity for children and young people with ME/CFS, with over ten years of knowledge and experience about how this illness affects children and young people. I found this website an incredibly useful resource for patients and their parents. And as long as there is patient choice in the NHS, Esther will see them all.

STARS: Syncope Trust And Reflex anoxic Seizures

A good resource for children/patients and parents. 'Have not put it under reference as although there is a section for professionals they make you sign and cough up £15. Fair enough but I find it annoying. Anyway, good site to point parents and their fainting/breathholding kids to.

ERIC (Education and resources for improving childhood continence)

Information and support on childhood bedwetting, daytime wetting, constipation and soiling to children, young people, parents and professionals. Once you visited this website you will never again have to refer a child for enuresis.

Infokid

A relatively recently launched resource from the RCPCH. Providing information for parents and carers about kidney conditions in babies, children and young people. Read about conditions, tests, treatments and supporting information - on screen or in downloadable leaflets.

MindEd

Advice and information for parents in relation to child mental health issues ranging from specific conditions to parenting advice.

Certainly worthwhile a look so you know what you're recommending.

Reference

CORE  (Welsh Child Protection Systematic Review Group)

Puts the evidence into child protection! Essential for everyone dealing with child protection issues, i.e. all of us. Important updates on bruising, oral injuries and bites, thermal injuries and fractures with links to the relevant papers as well as downloadable information leaflets. Pobably the most comprehensive source of evidence in connection with child abuse in the UK (and beyond).

Best Bets

BETs were developed in the Emergency Department of Manchester Royal Infirmary, UK, to provide rapid evidence-based answers to real-life clinical questions, using a systematic approach to reviewing the literature. BETs take into account the shortcomings of much current evidence, allowing physicians to make the best of what there is. Although BETs initially had an emergency medicine focus, there are a significant number of BETs covering cardiothoracics, nursing, primary care and paediatrics.

Advanced Life Suport Group

APLS, ALS, ATLS and now also child protection and soon bee keeping: All you  need to know on those long night shifts covering the emergency department. Information relating to courses and venues.

British Resuscitation Council

International guidelines, algorithms and the most up to date information on evidence based resus guidelines, paediatric and adult.

Immunisations against infectious diseases

Green Book

The famous green book (err, no not that one!): the most up to date and relevant info you’ll ever need for anything related to immunisation.

Orphanet

ORPHANET is a database dedicated to information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge. ORPHANET aims to improve management and treatment of genetic, auto-immune or infectious rare diseases, rare cancers, or not yet classified rare diseases. Hmm, Interesting.

MindEd

MindEd is a free educational resource on children and young people’s mental health for all adults. Another worthwhile RCPCH sponsored project. A great website and a fantastic resource for professionals an d families alike.

Medscape Pediatrics

Take a worthwhile look across the atlantic: features include (amongst others) highlighted educational activities for the week (generally updated twice a week); In Focus: the top articles of the week (generally updated twice week);
Today's News: the top news stories of the day (updated daily); Resource Centers: sections on specific conditions or topics of interest; Library: Journals, textbooks, and reference tools and so on.

emedicine

Always comes on top of that quick Google search in between clinic patients! Related to the Medscape website family.