SHPA opioid safety push

THE Society of Hospital Pharmacists (SHPA) yesterday convened its inaugural Medicines Leadership Forum, with key health system stakeholders gathering in Canberra to identify “proven and potential measures to reduce the incidence of opioid harm in patients after surgery”.

Delegates discussed preliminary recommendations from a landmark SHPA report on the topic, which will be released in the coming weeks.

SHPA president Michael Dooley said the collaborative forum was a key step towards improving the safe use of opioids, which are commonly prescribed after the 2.2 million surgeries in Australia each year.

“Demand for surgery in Australian hospitals continues to grow, and hospital-initiated opioid use is frequent and can induce long-term misuse or abuse and significant harm,” Dooley said.

GPs, anaesthetists, pharmacists, pain management and addiction specialists were part of yesterday’s event along with consumer health and government representatives.

Strategies identified included supporting analgesic stewardship, managing medication supply, working with prescribers, empowering patients and supporting transitions of care.

The discussions were informed by data from 135 public and private hospitals on their opioid practices, via SHPA’s recent hospital pharmacy landscape study (PD 16 May).

Dooley said pharmacists can play a key role in providing education and feedback to prescribers.