This book is a prescribing reference intended for use by healthcare providers in all clinical practice settings who are involved in the primary care management of patients of all ages with acute, episodic, and chronic health problems and needs for health promotion and disease prevention. It is divided into two major sections. Section I presents drug treatment regimens for over 600 clinical diagnoses. Each drug is listed alphabetically by generic name, followed by the FDA pregnancy category (A, B, C, D, X), over-the-counter availability; DEA schedule (I, II, III, IV, V); generic availability; dosing regimens; brand/trade name(s); dose forms; whether tablets, caplets, or chew tabs are single scored (*), cross-scored (**), or tri-scored (***); flavors of chewable, sublingual, buccal, and liquid forms; and information regarding additives (i.e., dye-free, sugar-free, preservative-free or preservative type, alcohol-free or alcohol content). Section II presents clinically useful information organized in table format, including: the JNC-8 and ASH recommendations for hypertension management, childhood immunization recommendations, brand/trade name drugs (with contents) for the management of common respiratory symptoms, anti-infectives by classification, pediatric dosing by weight for liquid forms, glucocorticosteroids by potency and route of administration, and contraceptives by route of administration and estrogen and/or progesterone content. An alphabetical cross-reference index of drugs by generic and brand/trade name, with FDA pregnancy category and controlled drug schedule, facilitates quick identification of drugs by alternate names and page location(s). Selected diseases and diagnoses (e.g., angina, glaucoma, Parkinson’s disease, cystic fibrosis) and selected drugs (e.g., antineoplastics, antipsychotics, antiarrhythmics) are included because pediatric patients are frequently referred to primary care providers by specialists for follow-up monitoring and on-going management. Users of this clinical guide are encouraged to utilize the manufacturer’s package insert, recommendations and guidance of specialists, standard-of-practice protocols, and the current research literature for more comprehensive information about specific drugs.
