Association for Paediatric Palliative Medicine Master Formulary
The APPM Master Formulary is a single standardised reference formulary, which is now acknowledged nationally and internationally as the standard reference formulary for paediatric palliative care.
Paediatric palliative medicine is characterised by use of medicines that are off licence or off label. Most indications and doses of medicines used in paediatric palliative medicine are derived from anecdotal evidence and involve scaled down adult doses.
Description
The Master Formulary for Paediatric Palliative Medicine provides information on indications, routes and standardised doses for paediatric palliative medicine based on systematic literature review and appraisal of available research evidence together with expert consensus opinion where there is insufficient research evidence.
The formulary is available as a downloadable PDF and also as a component of the West Midlands Paediatric Palliative Care toolkit.
Access the formulary via APPM online
Implementation
The APPM Master formulary has been widely publicised within the UK and Internationally. The formulary is regularly updated with the third (2105) edition launched in November 2014.
The APPM Master formulary provides significant additional information and guidance not found in the BNF for Children. This information needs to be widely available and accessible for all healthcare professionals caring for children with life threatening and life limiting conditions.
Challenges and Learning
Production of the APPM Master Formulary would not be possible without funding for dedicated pharmacy support. Updating and peer review is incredibly important and time consuming.
It is extensively peer reviewed by professionals from the UK and abroad and endorsed by Association for Paediatric Palliative Medicine and Together for Short Lives.
Project Lead: Dr Sat Jassal, Anita Aindow, Lynda Brook
Organisation: Association for Paediatric Palliative Medicine