Occasionally, prescribing is restricted to a specialist prescriber or group eg consultant dermatologist. This approach gives a specialist the opportunity, over a defined period, to use new products and assess their efficacy. Decisions about the use of a particular product are made after considering the efficacy, safety, patient acceptability and costs of the product or dressing. Treatment recommendations are selected on the grounds of current clinical opinion and clinical effectiveness about which there are many sources of useful information. Pharmaceutical advisers in health authorities have access to these manual and on-line sources of information.
Similar information is available for hospitals but usually only at a local level.
All hospital pharmacy departments have computerised prescribing systems. Most health authorities will have a drug information department which is usually associated with a pharmacy department in a hospital and the facilities are generally available to health professionals. The Cochrane Collaboration, founded in 1993, is an international network committed to preparing, maintaining and disseminating systematic reviews. The main output of the UKCC, which is of relevance to all wound care advisers, is the Cochrane Library which consists of four related databases. The CRD conducts systematic reviews in priority areas and commissions and supports experts to undertake reviews.