The online BNF is to be redesigned to provide up-to-date and digitalised information, under proposals announced by Nice.

The formulary needed enhancing by "exploiting the advantages" of digital media to ensure prescribers have "timely access" to accurate and up-to-date information, Nice said in a consultation launched on Monday (February 3).

The annual print versions of the BNF, BNF for Children and Nurses Prescribers' Formulary were partly out of date, because there needed to be an average of four significant changes a month, Nice said.

Its online version was just a replica of the content designed for the printed copy and limited its functionality, it argued.

Exploiting digital technology would give prescribers "timely access" to accurate and up-to-date information, Nice said

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The formulary should be designed primarily for a digital format to enable functionality impossible in a print-only version, Nice has proposed. It should be continuously updated and include a commonly prescribed medical devices list, links to other information and guidance, improved search engines and a rating on the frequency and severity of side effects and interactions. There were no plans to stop producing the print version, a Nice spokesperson told C+D.

"The huge increase in the use of technology, such as clinical decision support as well as online and mobile devices, offers an unparalleled opportunity to build on the BNF's valued position in prescribing and enhance its potential," Nice said.

Nice is running interactive workshops in Manchester on March 14 and in London on March 17 and 18 to get feedback on its plans. More details are available on the Nice website.