As we are nearing the end of another year, I would like to take a few moments to look back over selected developments in health and medicine during 2018.
We saw a continued focus on the promotion of antimicrobial stewardship, with NICE publishing a UTI antimicrobial prescribing strategy for lower UTIs and recurrent UTIs—both feature a visual algorithm to support prescribing decisions for adults, women who are pregnant, and children under 16 years of age.
Another area that stimulated much discussion this year was the use of cannabis-derived medicinal products. In November 2018, the Government approved these products for prescription by doctors on the GMC specialist register after agreement with a multidisciplinary team and only within their own area of practice and training.1 Under the new regulations most cannabis-based products (except for Sativex®) fall under the unlicensed medicines category, and as with any special (unlicensed medicine) products they should be prescribed on a named patient basis. We will be updating our content to reflect any changes in prescribing so do watch this space.
We are also healthier at every age group than previously recorded.2 That said, the health profile for England 2018 report acknowledges that the demands on the NHS have changed significantly since its conception. Mental health and substance misuse account for over one-third of the disease burden in 15–29 year olds, whereas neck/low back pain and skin disease (dermatitis, psoriasis, and acne) rank as the leading cause of morbidity for both men and women. To ensure you are up to date on these clinical areas, please do visit our related summaries on Guidelines.co.uk.
As an organisation, our key successes in 2018 have included: a fantastic uptake of our two Guidelines Live events in Manchester and London by GPs and nurses; and distribution of over 150 complementary educational supplements including prescribing and management algorithms.
Looking to the future, our next Guidelines Live event will take place on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 November 2019, and we will send out further information in the coming months. To support you with your everyday practice, we also have the following Guidelines summaries in our pipeline for 2019
NICE clinical guidance on:
the prescribing of cannabis-based products
antimicrobial prescribing on acute cough (including bronchitis)
treatment and management of depression in adults
identification and management of depression in children.
Working party guidelines on:
medication management with feeding tubes
recurrent urinary tract infections.
It is our strong belief that creating fresh approaches to advance clinical practice are critical components to supporting healthcare professionals in their everyday practice. With that in mind, we are keen to ensure that our material continues to remain relevant and in a format that is easy to use. Please do not hesitate to contact me at Poonum.Wilkhu@mgp.co.uk for an informal discussion. In the meantime, the Guidelines team and I would like to wish you all good health and a successful 2019.
References
Department of Health and Social Care. Cannabis-based products for medicinal use. NHS England, 2018.
Available at: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/letter-guidance-on-cannabis-based-products-for-medicinal-use.pdf
Public Health England. Health profile for England: 2018.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-profile-for-england-2018 (accessed 20 December 2018)