New standard for opioid analgesics

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care is seeking comments on the draft clinical care standard for opioid analgesics until midnight Monday, 4 October 2021.

Up to 70% of Australian hospitals report sending patients home with powerful opioid analgesics ‘just in case’.

The Opioid Analgesic Stewardship in Acute Pain Clinical Care Standard will guide appropriate prescribing of opioid analgesics for the management of acute pain, in patients presenting to hospital emergency departments and post-surgical patients.

Clinicians, pharmacists and health services who work with patients in the hospital setting are invited to view and comment on the draft standard.

The new standard supports opioid analgesic stewardship, which uses a framework to apply a systematic approach to optimise the use of these medicines.

For questions about the draft standard or the consultation, please contact the Clinical Care Standards team at CCS@safetyandquality.gov.au.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Suttipun