The Renal Drug Handbook, 3rd Edition

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The BNF is rarely used as a sole information source for managing medicines in renal impairment. Renal Drug Handbook and Renal Drug Database This handbook provides detailed drug information to assist healthcare professionals to safely dose medications in patients with kidney disease. It is also available online which I suspect will extend the readership from predominantly renal pharmacists to other groups. This is a much-needed reference with good and precise explanations of relevant drugs. One of the noteworthy aspects is that the authors have tried their best to translate the important information into a concise but effective format. The authors must be applauded for maintaining the uniform presentation structure for each drug monograph. Overall, this is an excellent handbook for anybody who wants to learn about drugs at a glance or wishes a quality reference for prescribing for those with renal impairment.

A universally-trusted resource, this edition of The Renal Drug Handbook contains over 800 drug monographs comprising prescribing information for clinical and medicines information pharmacists. provide a practice-based review of drug utilisation in renal units across the UK indicating, where appropriate, any local methods of use, licensed or otherwise. individual medicine monographs on how to prescribe, prepare and administer the medicine in various types of renal impairmentMany of these problems can be avoided by careful choice and use of drugs. The Renal Drug Database seeks to assist healthcare professionals in this process. The information contained within The Renal Drug Database is validated and governed by the UK Renal Pharmacy Group (UKRPG). For further information in the UKRPG, including its aims, events and activities, please visit: www.renalpharmacy.org.uk

One limitation is that the handbook is a UK publication so some of the drugs and dosing recommendations are not relevant to the Australian situation. Perhaps a consideration for future editions might be to include some general comments on the use of various drug classes in patients with renal disease. The Preface outlines how to use the monographs and basic drug dosing advice including valuable information on the use of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Launched in 2014, The Renal Drug Database comprises all monograph information from the highly successful The Renal Drug Handbook, the universally-trusted resource for pharmacists seeking definitive prescribing information when treating patients with renal impairment. Physical Examination Procedures for Advanced Practitioners and Non-Medical Prescribers - 2nd ed. (2015)The Renal Drug Database is not intended to offer definitive advice or guidance on how drugs should be used in patients with renal impairment, nor is it a comprehensive and complete list of all drugs licensed in the UK. Pharmaceutical Preformulation and Formulation: a Practical Guide from Candidate Drug Selection to Commercial Dosage Form - 2nd ed. (2009) The use of drugs in patients with impaired renal function can give rise to problems for several reasons:

In addition to our own resources, we recommend the following resources for information about specific medicines in renal impairment. Renal function generally declines with age, and many elderly patients have a GFR less than 50 mL/min which, because of reduced muscle mass, may not be reflected by an elevated creatinine. Consequently, one can justifiably assume mild renal impairment when prescribing for the elderly. Pharmaceutical Excipients: Properties, Functionality and Applications in Research and Industry (2017) Biologics, Biosimilars and Biobetters: An Introduction for Pharmacists, Physicians and other Health Practitioners(2021) For many drugs, some or even all of the altered pharmacokinetic parameters and modified interrelationships are unknown. In such circumstances, the informed professional judgement of clinicians and pharmacists must be used to predict drug disposition. This must be based on knowledge of the drug, its class, chemistry and pharmacokinetics in patients with normal renal function.

The ultimate prescribing guide for renal practitioners

Altered pharmacokinetics of some drugs, i.e. changes in absorption, tissue distribution, extent of plasma protein binding, metabolism and excretion. In renal impairment these parameters are often variable and interrelated in a complex manner. This may be further complicated if the patient is undergoing renal replacement therapy. provide healthcare professionals with a single reference of easily retrievable, practical information relating to drug use, sourced from the practical experience of renal units throughout the UK. By referring to the monographs, the user is guided in how to prescribe, prepare and administer the drug with due regard to potentially serious drug interactions and to any renal replacement therapy the patient may be undergoing. The RCGP have produced an AKI Toolkit to disseminate learning from AKI cases. Medicines Learning Portal Blood Results in Clinical Practice: A Practical Guide to Interpreting Blood Test Results - 2nd ed. (2019)