Close X
Monday, November 18, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. Doctors Fight Soaring Opioid Deaths With New Drug Prescription Rules

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Jun, 2016 01:10 PM
    VANCOUVER — Doctors across British Columbia now have new rules to follow as they prescribe opioids and other medications prone to misuse or abuse.
     
    The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia has adopted a new professional standard in response to soaring numbers of opioid-related deaths across the province and Canada.
     
    The college's president, Dr. Gerry Vaughan, says the new standard sets mandatory practices for prescription of potentially harmful drugs.
     
    Those include documented discussions with patients about the benefits of non-opioid treatments, a requirement to prescribe the lowest effective dosage, and ongoing patient checks, including routine urine testing.
     
    Before prescribing opioids, sedatives or stimulants, doctors must also review a patient's medication history on PharmaNet, a provincewide network that records every prescription dispensed in B.C.
     
    If that history is unavailable, physicians must consult with colleagues and pharmacists about the patient's background and prescribe only immediately required drugs until the record turns up.
     
     
    Dr. Heidi Oetter, the college's registrar and CEO, says illicit, powerful opioids, such as fentanyl and W-18, have contributed to the spate of drug deaths, but doctors have also played a role by over-prescribing opioids and other medications.
     
    "Unsafe prescribing needs to stop," Vaughan says in a news release.
     
    "This new document clearly states what our registrants must and must not do when prescribing certain classes of drugs, especially if there is a risk of misuse or diversion."
     
    In April, the provincial health officer, Dr. Perry Kendall, described opioid deaths in British Columbia as "a public health emergency." 
     
    At current rates, Kendall's office estimates the province could see 600 to 800 fatalities in 2016, a dramatic increase from the 474 recorded in 2015.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Police Crack Down On St. Patrick's Day Parties In Ontario

    Police Crack Down On St. Patrick's Day Parties In Ontario
    Police forces across Ontario reported breaking up parties and attending to minor incidents throughout the day despite numerous warnings to keep the celebrations under control.

    Police Crack Down On St. Patrick's Day Parties In Ontario

    Manitoba Liberals Rana Bokhari Would Provide Free Ambulance Ride For Seniors

    Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari says her party would reimburse ambulance fees for anyone over 65 and with an annual income of less than $20,000.

    Manitoba Liberals Rana Bokhari Would Provide Free Ambulance Ride For Seniors

    B.C. Elementary Teacher Guilty Of Misconduct For Sex-Related Behaviour

    B.C. Elementary Teacher Guilty Of Misconduct For Sex-Related Behaviour
    An elementary school teacher in repeatedly sneaked into his school for late-night phone calls to sex chat lines and used a colleague's work laptop over a winter break to access explicit websites and download pornography

    B.C. Elementary Teacher Guilty Of Misconduct For Sex-Related Behaviour

    Man Found Guilty Of Second-Degree Murder In Deadly Toronto Community Shooting

    Man Found Guilty Of Second-Degree Murder In Deadly Toronto Community Shooting
    Two people were killed and 22 others were injured in the Danzig Street shooting as rival gang members fired shots at each other.

    Man Found Guilty Of Second-Degree Murder In Deadly Toronto Community Shooting

    Ex-Mountie Who Smuggled Narwhal Tusks Extradited To U.S.

    Ex-Mountie Who Smuggled Narwhal Tusks Extradited To U.S.
    Gregory Logan, 58, of St. John, waived the right to a detention hearing Wednesday in Bangor, Maine, after being extradited to face charges of money laundering.

    Ex-Mountie Who Smuggled Narwhal Tusks Extradited To U.S.

    Court Approves Ontario's 1st Doctor-assisted Death For 81-Year-Old Man

    Court Approves Ontario's 1st Doctor-assisted Death For 81-Year-Old Man
    Superior Court Justice Paul Perell gave the green light after a 30-minute hearing today.

    Court Approves Ontario's 1st Doctor-assisted Death For 81-Year-Old Man