Prescribing safely: what you need to know

CPD eLearning courses

Our accredited eLearning courses are free for members. We offer six eLearning courses about prescribing which cover:

• Prescribing principles: Part one - general prescribing – 1 EA/0.5 RP hours – safe prescribing, common medication errors, record-keeping requirements, communication issues when prescribing, electronic prescribing, off-label prescribing and overprescribing (updated September 2023)
• Prescribing principles: Part one - general prescribing measuring outcomes activity- 0.5 MO hour  
• Prescribing principles: Part two - opioids and other drugs of dependence – 1 EA/0.5 RP hours – clinical considerations, managing acute pain, legal considerations and managing doctor shopping behaviour (updated September 2023 including real time prescription monitoring)
• Prescribing principles: Part two - opioids and other drugs of dependence measuring outcomes activity - 0.5 MO hour
• Prescribing principles: Part three - an update - 0.5 EA/0.5RP hours - webinar based scenario which discusses issues associated with treating family and friends, prescribing drugs of dependence, need for authorities and real time prescription monitoring. 
• Prescribing principles: Part three an update measuring outcomes activity- 0.5 MO hour

Prescribing drugs of dependency

Real time prescription monitoring (RTPM) provides risk mitigation for doctors prescribing drugs of dependence. In some states/territories it is mandatory to check the RTPM before prescribing drugs of dependence and some other drugs. Avant recommends all doctors check every time.

Our member experience shows that some doctors believe that seeing a green, amber or red alert in their practice software is the same as checking their RTPM. It is not. You must click on the alert to go through to the RTPM.

Doctors may also need PBS authority, and approval from the relevant state or territory health department for some patients (see ‘Prescribing drugs of dependence’ factsheet).

Avant factsheets, articles and case studies

Prescribing drugs of dependence

Identifying drug seekers and doctor shopping behaviours

Claims insights: opioid prescribing-related claims

Webinar

Ask the expert – prescribing, advertising and artificial intelligence

Real time prescription monitoring in the states and territories

• NSW – SafeScript NSW – not mandatory but strongly encouraged – monitored medicines
• Victoria – SafeScript – mandatory – monitored medicines
• Queensland – QScript – mandatory – monitored medicines
• South Australia – ScriptCheckSA – mandatory – monitored medicines
• Western Australia – ScriptCheckWA – mandatory to register, use is strongly recommended – monitored medicines
• Tasmania – TasScript – mandatory – monitored medicines 
• Northern Territory – NTScript – mandatory – monitored medicines
• Australian Capital Territory – Canberra Script – not mandatory but strongly encouraged – monitored medicines

Prescribing for yourself, family, friends or those you work with

Good medical practice: a code of conduct for doctors in Australia  says, ‘Good medical practice involves … not self-prescribing’. It also states:

Whenever possible, avoid providing medical care to anyone with whom you have a close personal relationship. In most cases, providing care to close friends, those you work with and family members is inappropriate because of the lack of objectivity, possible discontinuity of care, and risks to the patient and doctor. In particular, medical practitioners must not prescribe Schedule 8, psychotropic medication and/or drugs of dependence or perform elective surgery (such as cosmetic surgery), to anyone with whom they have a close personal relationship.

Your state or territory legislation may also further prohibit prescribing for yourself, family, friends or those you work with.

Avant factsheets, articles and case studies

Treating family members, friends or staff

‘But it’s just a script’: prescribing requests from family and friends

Case study: doctor disqualification for long-term self-prescribing

Case study: GP’s long-term prescribing for family leads to professional misconduct finding

Case study: GP disqualified after overdose death of de-facto partner

Case study: doctor sanctioned for self-prescribing revealed after car accident

Other prescribing challenges

Analysis of our claims involving prescribing show that doctors also have difficulty with issues such as record-keeping requirements, communication issues in prescribing, overprescribing and off-label prescribing.

Avant factsheets, articles and case studies

Prescribing off-label