NEW exemptions for the mandatory QScript look-up requirements for relevant practitioners have come into effect in Queensland.
The changes aim to simplify the process for prescribing and dispensing monitored medicines in specific situations.
Practitioners such as pharmacists are now exempt from checking QScript in hospitals if the medicine is administered on-site.
Similar exemptions apply to patients treated at aged care facilities, custodial facilities, or in urgent emergency situations.
Additionally, exemptions extend to patients assessed as eligible under the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021, such as those with a life expectancy of less than 12 months, or those receiving palliative care.
An exemption also applies when practitioners prescribe monitored medicines to be administered directly by an authorised person, such as a pharmacist or registered nurse, without the patient taking possession of the medicine.
Simultaneously, a new version of the Monitored Medicines Standard has been implemented.
This updated Standard has a narrower scope, applying exclusively to monitored medicine treatment for patients registered under the Queensland Opioid Treatment Program.
These changes are intended to enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of monitored medicine administration in various critical care scenarios. JG
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 11 Jul 24
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