#errcd

Read more at http://medisecure.com.au/heath-ledgers-father-on-need-for-prescription-monitoring-to-deter-doctor-shopping/

Another indication of the need for a real-time prescription monitoring system like DrShop, as Heath Ledger’s father Kim Ledger talks on the Sunrise program on Channel 7 about his work as a patron of ScriptWise to raise awareness of the misuse/abuse of legal prescription drugs and how to prevent it.

  Seven year ago, the world was shocked by the death of actor Heath Ledger from an accidental overdose of prescription medications. Now his father Kim Ledger is raising awareness about the misuse of prescriptions. The actor had visited several doctors for help with his chest infections and sleeping issues. It is believed he mixed the drugs without realizing the danger. His father Kim is a patron of ScriptWise, a not-for-profit organization, raising the awareness of prescription misuse, which is incredibly common unfortunately.

Kim said: “It is an extremely significant problem and in very recent times, two coroners’ reports, one in Victoria and one in Western Australia, recommended as a result of their findings, that real-time monitoring should be put in place to capture those people who are misusing or abusing the pharmaceutical drug system.”

The Sunrise program host David Koch asked: “Kim, ScriptWise as you say wants real-time monitoring, GPs want it, health ministers want it, pharmacies want it, how frustrating is it that everyone seems to want it but it is not happening.”

Kim replied: “I know Koch and I was a matter aware of this only in recent times and being involved with some families that had gone through some terribly tragic circumstances with loved ones. There are people who had been trying to run this program from up to 10 years or live their awareness of the requirements for this program for the last 10 years. The other frustrating thing is that there is a system available and it is just simply it hasn’t been adopted.”

David asked: “How come it hasn’t been adopted? Is it too hard or too expensive or what’s the block?”

Kim answered: “Well, from my experience Koch, and learning about it in recent times, it is not an expensive thing to adopt. Maybe there are some doctors out there who don’t like the idea of a slight change in computer technology or whatever to be accepted. But as I understand, it can be blended well straight into existing systems in doctor surgeries so there should not be a problem. And as you say, most doctors want it anyway because they don’t want to compromise themselves in this situation so they’ll love to see it. So I am not sure. If it requires mandating, let’s mandate it. That’s all I say.”

The other Sunrise presenter Samantha said: “It’s not necessarily malicious either. You can be thinking you are doing the right thing and getting proper medications, but you don’t know it shouldn’t be mixed with something else.”

David added: “It seems silly if everyone agrees. We might talk a bit more off air – just see who we need to get on to increase the pressure. It just seems ridiculous if everyone agrees and it is easily there. Let’s get cracking.”

Read more at http://medisecure.com.au/record-level-of-prescription-drug-overdoses-with-gps-unable-to-monitor-doctor-shopping/

Victorian coroner Audrey Jamieson called for urgent action to address the problem of drug overdoses which have reached record levels. She revealed prescription drug overdoses had increased for the sixth year in a row, with 314 cases recorded last year, more than the road toll in 2014.  Among the overdose mortality, 42% were caused solely by prescription drugs, 6% by illicit drugs and the remainder by a combination with alcohol and illicit drugs.  56% of all overdose deaths in 2014 involved benzodiazepines, which include Xanax and Valium.

Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) chief executive Sam Biondo said the figures showed there is a policy blindspot for legal substance abuse. He said: “Many of the answers to reduce this toll are fully acknowledged yet we have faced persistent inaction in addressing this catastrophic situation. We need better linkages between doctors, pharmacists, pain management specialists and the alcohol and drug treatment sector.” He said death or dependence was increasing in new demographic groups, such road trauma victims, WorkCover recipients and patients requiring post-surgery pain management, not traditionally perceived as problematic drug users.

St Kilda GP Dr Mike Birrell, who regularly sees prescription drug addicts, said a prescription monitor could save lives. He said: “You can get caught out even with the best intentions. I had a chap die three or four weeks ago. These people have other medication they take … and they’re not sure what they’re taking.”

Currently, doctors are unable to fully monitor patients’ access to potentially lethal doses of medicines. Hence, a mandatory real-time prescription drug register for Victoria similar to a system currently in place in Tasmania would help doctors catch out “doctor shoppers” – patients who see multiple doctors to obtain excessive levels of legal drugs.

Read more at http://medisecure.com.au/prescription-drug-deaths-trigger-calls-for-the-errcd/

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) had called upon the federal and state governments to implement a national Electronic Recording and Reporting of Controlled Drugs (ERRCD) system, after a Victorian coroner warned legal drugs were killing more people than illicit drugs or alcohol.

RACGP president Dr Frank Jones said prescription drug overdoses caused more deaths in some states than car accidents and these deaths could be mostly avoided if GPs had access to a drug database. PSA president Grant Kardachi said there is a need to limit the harm associated with drugs such as those containing codeine.

In the National Pharmaceutical Drug Misuse Framework for Action 2012-2015, the ERRCD received the top priority and was backed by all health ministers but has yet to be implemented, due partly to political issues in several states.

A federal Health Department spokeswoman said NSW, ACT, Western and South Australia had advised they were ready to sign up to a national system “in the near future”. A Victorian state government spokeswoman said: “The introduction of real-time prescription monitoring requires consideration and planning, following no progress over the past four years under the Liberals”. A Queensland Health spokeswoman said Queensland is still determining whether the ERRCD would meet its future needs or whether it needs to be modified.