Victorian Real Time Prescription Monitoring Update

Harm from non-medical use of prescription medicine is a rapidly evolving public health problem in Australia.  For the last five years more Victorians have died from overdose involving prescription medicines than from traffic accidents or overdose involving illicit drugs.

To reduce deaths and harm from prescription medicine misuse, the Victorian Government is implementing a real-time prescription monitoring system, an essential tool to provide information during a consultation to doctors and pharmacists about their patient’s up-to-the-minute dispensing history of high risk prescription medicines, to support safe prescribing and dispensing of these high-risk medicines and ensure better patient safety.

The system will monitor prescription medicines that are causing the greatest harm to the community. Based on local and international research and recommendations by an expert advisory group, the system will monitor all Schedule 8 medicines, all benzodiazepines, Z-drugs (zolpidem and zopiclone), as well as quetiapine.  A literature review report is published here.

Specific fit-for-purpose software is being built for Victorian clinicians.  At the same time, Victoria will continue to work with Commonwealth and other jurisdictions towards a solution to share data nationally to prevent cross-border prescription drug-seeking.

A significant part of the initiative is the development of comprehensive training and education for doctors and pharmacists.  Western Victoria Primary Health Network has been engaged as lead for a consortium comprising all Victorian Primary Health Networks together with NPS MedicineWise, to develop and deliver this training. Prescribers and pharmacists will be able to access online modules on demand.  A number of face-to-face workshops will also be offered based on priority and demand.

Prior to the implementation of the software, a comprehensive campaign will be launched to raise public awareness about the problem and prepare consumers for the change.

The system will be rolled out in phases commencing in 2018 and made available to GPs, community pharmacists, prescribers and pharmacists in hospital Emergency Departments and Outpatients clinics across Victoria.

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This update was provided by the Victorian Government for the information of our readers.  Painaustralia welcomes the scheme but is keen to see compatability with the national real time prescription monitoring scheme, to be implemented by the end of next year.