New prescription monitoring software will soon replace a registry in Canberra in preparation for a national system, at a cost of $2.1 million to taxpayers.
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Designed to help combat the growing problem of prescription medication abuse, Canberra Script will replace the system introduced in the ACT in 2019.
Created to be compatible with a national registrar, the software will alert practitioners to patients who have previously exhibited drug-seeking behaviour.
The national monitor is being developed to help prevent people identified as problem drug users from crossing home borders to access medications.
The rollout follows recognition from coroners around the country that easy access to opioid painkillers and other medications was a matter of public safety.
In the ACT, inquests into the deaths of Suellen Edith Davis in 2018, Lauren Maree Johnstone in 2019 and Jay Alan Paterson in 2019, raised the alarm of "doctor shopping".
In all three cases, ACT coroners made recommendations for the expansion of the current monitoring system to include NSW, ideally as part of a national system.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the ACT system will be introduced at some sites later this year.
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"Australia has a growing problem with the misuse and abuse of pharmaceuticals. This can have a devastating impact on individuals and their families," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
"Canberra Script will give ACT doctors, nurse practitioners and pharmacists a better view of what their consumers are using."
Ms Stephen-Smith said the new system provided a better user experience for prescribers and pharmacists.
She said the Health Directorate had begun engaging with practitioners across the ACT to inform them of the new system, its benefits and key features.
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