A/Prof Ruth Stewart is Australia’s new National Rural Health Commissioner. (Image: Twitter)[/caption]
Samuel Keitaanpaa MPS.[/caption]
Peter Fell MPS[/caption]
Dimitra Tsucalas FPS[/caption]
Quoc Sam MPS[/caption]
Cameron Walls MPS[/caption]
Giovanna Vinci MPS works in one of the suburbs that is going into lockdown.[/caption]
Pene Wood MPS (Image: La Trobe University)[/caption]
Tighter regulation was one of the measures recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee to reduce harm associated with opioid use. Education and awareness campaigns will be phased in over the next two years.1
It comes in response to increasing numbers of deaths involving opioids in Australia. From 2007 to 2016, the number of deaths due to opioids nearly doubled, from 591 to 1,119 per year. Most deaths were due to prescription opioids rather than illicit opioids such as heroin.2
Suzanne Nielsen MPS (Image: Monash University)[/caption]
‘I think it is important how you have this conversation and the terminology you use, i.e. opioid toxicity instead of overdose. These medicines can be dangerous and need to be treated with care.’
A/Prof Nielsen said pharmacists need to support patients through these changes, particularly where new requirements, such as needing a second opinion, introduce new barriers to care.
She echoed the importance of education around opioid safety and keeping naloxone in the home.
‘It is an easily implementable strategy to raise awareness of risks and prevent opioid-related mortality among people prescribed opioids for chronic pain,’ A/Prof Nielsen said.
Community pharmacist Jenny Tam MPS, from Chermside Shopping Centre Pharmacy in Brisbane, is being more vigilant with opioid prescriptions this week, but thinks the changes are a good thing.
When dispensing large packs of opioids, she wonders what quantities people have stored in their homes. She would also welcome education on the place of naloxone so she could feel more comfortable recommending it to people prescribed opioids.
References
This article was independently produced with support from Roche.[/caption]
References: Aust Govt Dept of Health, CDC[/caption]
This article is produced in partnership with the Australian Digital Health Agency.[/caption]
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