APhA Publishes The Practitioner's Quick Reference To Nonprescription Drugs

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 01 Jun 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) recently published a concise reference on 25 common self-treatable conditions. The Practitioner's Quick Reference to Nonprescription Drugs contains information from the new, comprehensive 16th edition of the Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs: An Interactive Approach to Self-Care, but it includes only the content that practitioners are most likely to need during self-care consultations with patients.

Each chapter begins with an algorithm that presents treatment and follow-up recommendations as well as exclusions for self-treatment. The accompanying text expands on the algorithm's recommendations and includes essential additional information (e.g., cautions and contraindications, drug interactions) plus limited background information on the condition.

Among the conditions covered are headache, fever, musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, common cold, allergic rhinitis, cough, heartburn, constipation, herpes simplex, acne, pediculosis, and warts. With appendices covering administration guidelines, pregnancy risk categories, and recommended intakes for vitamins and minerals, the reference is intended to help busy health practitioners.

The editor is Cynthia Knapp Dlugosz, BPharm, President of CKD Associates, LLC, a health care communications and education consulting firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dlugosz has more than 20 years of experience in pharmacy publishing and continuing education program development.

The softbound reference (ISBN 978-1-58212-140-6; 374 pages) may be purchased for $29.95 ($27 for APhA members) through APhA's toll-free order department at (800) 878-0729 or online at http://www.pharmacist.com.

Source
American Pharmacists Association (APhA)