The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is calling for improved communication to GPs after they were not adequately informed about major changes to prescription opioid prescribing.
It comes after the RACGP welcomed the changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) reducing opioid pack sizes, which came into effect on Monday 1st June. The changes were made in response to concerns about the high number of deaths and hospitalisations due to prescription opioids.
Although the changes came into effect on Monday 1st June, crucial information on what medications were affected was not adequately communicated to GPs ahead of time. Some GPs were unable to prescribe the new smaller pack sizes through their usual clinical software until an update was rolled out days after the regulations came into effect.
A detailed listing of the changes to opioid medications only became available on the PBS website on Tuesday 2nd June. The Therapeutic Good Administration (TGA) issued a press release to publicise the changes the same day.
Chair of the RACGP's Expert Committee on Quality Care Professor Mark Morgan said the poor communication had caused unnecessary grief for GPs and their patients.
"Many GPs were caught unaware of the changes until half way through the process of prescribing. GPs and clinic staff had to call the PBS Authority Prescription phone line
