This is about new patients coming to the surgery and asking for Schedule 8 painkillers (drugs of addiction). Schedule 8 medications like Morphine, Oxycodone,Oxycontin,Alprazolam and ... are restricted medications. Even if there is a legitimate medical condition in your opinion prescribing of these medications need special permit for each patient. Please click here to read more about prescribing permit. the purpose of permit is to limit prescribing by different practitioner at the same time (Doctor shopping ). There are different programs to prevent doctor shopping. The most recent one is Safescript.
In VIC Medical Doctors Doncaster , VIC Medical Doctors Northcote and QLD Medical Doctors we use Safescript ( and similar programs) to detect doctor shopping. Furthermore our policy is not to prescribe Narcotics or Benzos (Schedule 8 medications) to new patients without permit, checking the records and contacting previous GP/Pain specialist. These measures are necessary for continuity of care.
Continuity of care is concerned with quality of care over time. It is the process by which the patient and his/her physician-led care team are cooperatively involved in ongoing health care management toward the shared goal of high quality, cost-effective medical care. ( Continuity of Care, Definition of : AAFP website)
We are bound with RACGP guidelines in prescribing schedule 8 medications: Before prescribing an S8 drug, GPs must take all reasonable steps to ensure a therapeutic need exists. Once a therapeutic need is established, GPs are required to comply with state- or territory-specific health legislation (refer to Appendix C.1 in the PDF version) and the fact sheets listed below and, where necessary, obtain an authority/permit from the relevant PSU. These authorities are distinct from, and in addition to, any authority under the PBS for scripts.23 ( RACGP guideline: Prescribing drug of dependence in general practice)
We care about our patients and to perform our duty of care we need to follow prescribing guidelines. In chronic pain there is a major psychological component. Depression/anxiety , frustration , partial disability and social seclusion all should be cared of. For learning about multidisciplinary management of pain please see Painaustralia link.
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