IAHPC BOOK REVIEW
PCF2. PALLIATIVE CARE FORMULARY. Second Edition
Robert Twycross, Andrew Wilcock, Sarah Charlesworth and Andrew Dickman
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Radcliffe Medical Press, 2002
388 pp
ISBN 1 85775 511 1
RRP £35 |
This second edition of the Palliative Care Formulary is a comprehensive information resource regarding the medications used in palliative
care. There is an absolute wealth of information in this book, but it is set out in a very clear and accessible manner. For each drug, there is detailed pharmacological and pharmacokinetic data,
information about indications and contraindications, adverse effects, clinical use, and administration. The information is detailed and well referenced. Drugs used for unlicensed indications
or by unlicensed routes are noted. The text is enhanced by the use of treatment ladders, diagrams based on the WHO analgesic ladder, to help conceptualise the steps in treating difficult symptoms
such as neuropathic pain and paraneoplastic sweating. There are useful appendices on drug compatibility in syringe drivers, cytochrome P450 and drug interactions, medications for feeding tubes,
and a lot more. Having used the book for several weeks, the only shortcoming that I was able to identify was that the list of adverse effects should be classified by frequency - what occurs in
ten percent of cases, what occurs in less than one percent, and so on.
This book is packed with information, but it is user-friendly and the provision of a CD-ROM makes it even more so. We are indebted to the industry of Robert Twycross and his team for providing
what is an invaluable information resource for doctors, nurses and pharmacists working in palliative care.
First class. Highly recommended.
Roger Woodruff
Director of Palliative Care, Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia
(March 2003)
Author information
Robert Twycross is Emeritus Clinical Reader in Palliative Medicine, Oxford University, UK
Andrew Wilcock is Macmillan Clinical Reader in Palliative Medicine and Medical Oncology, Nottingham University, Nottingham, UK
Sarah Charlesworth is Specialist Senior Pharmacist in Palliative Care, Hayward House, Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Unit, Nottingham, UK
Andrew Dickman is Specialist Principal Pharmacist in Palliative Care, Whiston Hospital, Willowbrook Hospice and Marie Curie Centre, Liverpool, UK
Table of Contents
1. Gastrointestinal System 1
2. Cardiovascular System 29
3. Respiratory System 47
4. Central Nervous System 63
5. Analgesic 129
6. Infections 203
7. Endocrine System and Immunomodulation 215
8. Urinary Tract Disorders 241
9. Nutrition and Blood 247
10. Musculoskeletal and joint diseases 261
11. Ear, Nose and Oropharynx 271
12. Skin 279
13. Anaesthesia 287
14. Syringe Drivers 297
Appendices
1. Anaphylaxis 315
2. Synopsis of Pharmacokinetic data 317
3. Prolongation of the QT interval in palliative care 327
4. Cytochrome P450 331
5. Drug induced movement disorders 339
6. Discoloured urine 345
7. Taking control drugs abroad 347
8. Special Orders and named patient supplies 349
9. Nebulised drugs 351
10. Administering drugs via feeding tubes 355
11. Syringe driver compatibility charts 369
Index 375
 
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