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The NSW opposition has committed itself to setting up real-time monitoring of recipe services, claiming that the move would save hundreds of lives and help patients realize when they have committed drug abuse or addiction.
About 600 people die every year due to opioid-based drugs and the long-standing problem was recently highlighted by a study of the death of Sydney's mother, Alissa Campbell in 2015.
Victoria has committed to a the state-based system to control prescribing heavier drugs histories about opioids, painkillers, stimulants, sedatives, sleeping pills, antipsychotics and codeine.
NSW has instead decided to wait until a national plan is implemented.
The health spokesperson of the NSW opposition, Walt Secord, says a Labor government would introduce real-time monitoring through software that links pharmacies and GPs to a database of recipe histories.
"This is about protecting doctors, chemists and patients," he said. "
" It will also warn patients who are not aware of abuse or addiction. "
Mr. Secord said that drug abuse based on opioids was a worldwide phenomenon.
"In the American, Canadian, European and Australian opioid-based deaths, heroin has actually surpassed, so this is becoming a big problem. "
& # 39; Disturbing & # 39; picture from inquest
A toxicologist found that Ms. Campbell, 26, died from a combination of codeine and doxepin.
Individually taken, the drugs were not a problem but the combination led to "deep respiratory depression and coma" and the reaction was aggravated by the presence of diazepam and oxycodone.
In the six months before her death, Mrs. Campbell visited 13 GPs, but none of them had a complete picture of her health needs or current medicines, the research that was heard last month.
"While some doctors prescribed a range and volume of medication acceptable to themselves, the total p icture that emerged was troubling," said State Secretary Harriet Grahame.
She advised "urgent consideration" to give a real-time monitoring system in NSW
"There is an urgent need to develop an overall strategy to reduce the number of citizens who die every year from an overdose. "
No timetable for national system
In NSW there is an electronic reporting system with the possibility to use prescription medicines in real time for medicines from Schedule 8 [19659003] But the state has decided with the federal authorities to to work nationally before it is his own country
Chief Pharmacist Judith Mackson said that high-level design work is in progress, but there is no timetable for implementation.
"The technical design because large information technology systems need to an early stage to ensure we're doing well, "she said.
" That's what's happening right now – making sure the design is right. "
Mackson said in the meantime that it was important for doctors to think about the possibility that someone would abuse prescription drugs
They need existing information services – other prescribers, the health department and other pharmacies – continue to use the history of a patient and use their professional discretion.
Mackson also provided evidence during the investigation into the death of Ms. Campbell.
She testified that the national program was potentially "years away" and did not believe it would be faster for NSW to go it alone because Victoria's dedication to his own system began much earlier.
Magistrate Grahame said that the admission was "frustrating and depressing."
"Although the problem has been identified for years by experts, it does not seem that the problem is addressed with real urgency in terms of the development of the they are potentially lifesaving tool, "she said.
"The question has to be asked, where is NSW's commitment to this impor- tant issue?"
Topics:
medical ethics,
doctors and medical professionals,
medical history,
Health,
sydney-2000
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