Guidelines have been issued for healthcare professionals working with children.

The BNF for Children (BNFC) offers advice on prescribing children the correct medications in a bid to reduce the number of related mistakes.

For the first time the guide will include information on treating meningitis, HIV and nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting).

Health officials are also highlighting the importance of using the guides when prescribing medicines for young people.

The BMJ Group has published the guide alongside the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group.

Professor Warren Lenney, Chair of the Paediatric Formulary Committee, said: "The complexity of paediatric prescribing, given the range of prescribing required for children from birth to 18 years, means that there are more prescribing errors made for children than for adults.

"It is therefore very important that healthcare professionals always use the latest edition of BNF for Children to ensure that children are given the right dose at the right time."

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