Real-time drug record push
September 1, 2015
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
has again come out in support
of electronic real time recording
of controlled drugs in order to
save lives, supporting the Royal
Australasian College of Physicians
call for greater awareness of
the over-prescribing of opioid
prescription medication for pain
in recognition of International
Overdose Awareness Day.
According to the latest National
Drug Strategy Household Survey
(NDSHS) report, the misuse of
painkillers increased from 4.8% of
the Australian population in 2010,
to 7.7% in 2013.
RACP president, Laureate
Professor Nick Talley said opioids
are now one of the most overprescribed
pain medications
in Australia and new evidence
suggests their effectiveness in the
treatment of long-term pain is
limited.
“I think it is now accepted that
these drugs have caused significant
public health problems, including
overdose, and we now need to
reign in the problem by cautious
prescribing,” Talley said.
International Overdose Awareness
Day is a global event held on 31
Aug each year and aims to raise
awareness of overdose and reduce
the stigma of a drug-related
death, driven locally by non-profit
organisation ScriptWise.
Kim Ledger, father of the late
Heath Ledger who died from an
accidental overdose of prescription
medications in 2008, will deliver
the keynote address at a ScriptWise
event in Perth tonight, also urging
real-time monitoring of prescription
medications as well as “grass roots
education to curb the rising death
toll” from prescription medicines.
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