Why does the BNF not include a disclaimer covering liability for its clinical content?
The BNF has often thought about adding a disclaimer. But we’ve come to the view that it really doesn’t make any practical difference. We take great care to ensure that our editorial processes are as robust as we can make them. So, we check that we have interpreted new data correctly and that the presentation of information is accurate and unambiguous. To this end we use expert clinical advisers to verify our data and, within the editorial team, subject the text to several layers of checking. Changes to clinical advice are also reviewed by the Joint Formulary Committee. Therefore, should the BNF be challenged, an important argument in our defence would be the rigour of our editorial processes; this strength comes not just from the mechanical processes but also from the experience, training and expertise of the personnel who contribute to the construction of the text.
