Page 16 - Federal Budget Submission 2016-17

eHealth initiatives supporting Quality Use of Medicines
“ We need to embrace digital health and innovation in the health sector if we are to deliver better integrated care.111
Recording and Reporting of Drugs of Dependence
In Australia, the incidence of death and harm resulting from the inappropriate use of both prescription and over the counter (OTC) medicines has increased significantly.112 Research suggests that the significant increase in the prescribing and use of opioid analgesics in Australia, has resulted in this commensurate increase in opioid-related deaths.113-115
For several years, calls for a real-time recording system for drugs of dependence have been made, not only by pharmacists, but by medical practitioners, consumers and coroners. Coronial reports have repeatedly called for real-time monitoring of the prescribing and dispensing of drugs of dependence through
the implementation of the Electronic Recording and Reporting of Controlled Drugs (ERRCD) system.116 The aim is to reduce the harms and deaths associated with longstanding systemic health issues including poor coordination of care and inappropriate prescribing and dispensing.
For an ERRCD system to be an effective monitoring tool, PSA believes that the system must be;
• a compulsory system, used for all drugs with the potential for addiction – not just prescription medicines.
• supported by the standardisation of jurisdictional legislation for all schedules of medicines
• appropriately integrated with all prescribing and dispensing systems to ensure seamless use by doctors and pharmacists
• functional for real-time use, so that a doctor or pharmacist concerned about a consumer’s use can access accurate, up to date data.
PSA recently led a call for the urgent implementation of a national system for the Electronic Recording and Reporting of Controlled Drugs (ERRCD), together with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia, Australian Medical Association, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Consumers Health Forum of Australia and the Medical Software Industry Association of Australia.117
While the ERRCD is intended to capture Schedule 8 medicines, PSA’s strong view is that the system should be expanded to include all drugs of dependence, including OTC codeine-containing analgesics, as appropriate and in accordance with relevant State and Territory legislation. This will provide more comprehensive information to assist prescribers and pharmacists in their informed clinical decision-making for the benefit of the consumer.
PSA undestands that the $5 million allocated to the ERRCD initiative under the 5th Community Pharmacy Agreement (5CPA) has been spent on software development for the ERRCD system, and that each state and territory will need to access further funding to implement the ERRCD system. As such, the PSA
urges the Federal Government to allocate funds to assist states and territories to fully implement the ERRCD system as a matter of urgency.
PSA re-iterates there should be the highest priority for the implementation of a national real-time recording and reporting system which can capture all prescribing, dispensing and supply of prescription and OTC drugs of dependence.
16 Federal Budget Submission 2016-17 I ©Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Ltd.
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