The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has called for a system wide reform for pain management in Australia, to ensure a responsible balance between providing good management and minimising harms from medication.
RACGP President Dr Bastian Seidel said pain management has significant benefits for patients but painkilling medications must be prescribed and used responsibly.
“For many people, good pain management can transform their quality of life, allowing them to work, be active, and participate in the community rather than being functionally disabled,” Dr Seidel said.
“Unfortunately, what we have been seeing is an exploitation of painkilling medications.”
The RACGP has released new guidelines to support responsible prescribing of opioids in general practice and protect patients from serious harm.
Dr Seidel said the guide has been produced largely in response to increasing community and medical concerns about the use and safety of opioids.
“Currently 20 – 40% of adult consultations in Australian general practice involve a chronic pain complaint,” Dr Seidel said.
“The new guidelines will help GPs feel more comfortable and better supported when managing these patients.”
In releasing the guidelines for pain management, the RACGP also calls for significant changes within the health system to improve pain services, and to minimise harms from medication. The RACGP has called for:
- Nationally consistent laws and regulations regarding opioids
- Up-scheduling of codeine
- National real-time prescription monitoring
- Improved methods of national and Primary Health Network monitoring of opioid prescriptions
- Improved methods of evaluating serious harms (deaths and hospitalisation) from prescription drugs
- Improved funding models to support chronic pain management
- Hospital physicians, surgeons, pain specialists and hospital pharmacists to adopt improved and consistent opioid medication plans on discharge
- All general practices to improve clinical governance within their practices by adopting uniform policies and procedures to improve management of opioid within their practices
Dr Seidel said he was looking forward to further collaboration across health to improve pain management in Australia.
“Never before has improved clinical governance and cooperation been more important,” Dr Seidel said.
Visit the RACGP website to access the opioid guidelines.