Monthly Index of Medical Specialities

Monthly Index Of Medical Specialities

The Monthly Index of Medical Specialities (MIMS) is a pharmaceutical prescribing reference guide published in the UK since 1959 by Haymarket Media Group. The guide contains information about branded and generic drugs in the UK formulary. It is aimed at healthcare professionals, including general practitioners (GPs), pharmacists, nurses and secondary care specialists.

The print title is published monthly, being sent gratis to all practice-based UK GPs who have registered to receive it, and on a paid basis to subscribers. Each new edition sees about 200 changes to the drug monographs, including the addition of new products and removal of deleted products. It is considered dangerous practice to refer to old editions.

Concise drug monographs form the core of MIMS; these include key safety information (contraindications, warnings, interactions and adverse effects) and details of the active ingredient, presentation, price, indication, dosage and manufacturer. Entries are independently compiled by the expert MIMS editorial team based on the full Summary of Product Characteristics. In addition, the book includes drug comparison tables, summaries of clinical guidance and visual guides to diabetes and respiratory devices.

Although MIMS also serves as a medical advertising medium, its editorial content is not influenced by pharmaceutical companies and products are included at the discretion of the Editor. Drugs that are blacklisted (ie not prescribable on the NHS) are not included and MIMS does not provide information on the unlicensed or off-label use of drugs.