Alberta college seeks feedback from doctors on draft opioid prescribing rules
EDMONTON — Alberta’s medical regulator wants more stringent rules on how physicians prescribe opioid painkillers and other drugs to improve the safety of patients.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons says next month it will send draft proposals for a standard of practice called “Safe Prescribing” to doctors, the provincial government and others seeking feedback in the hope of approving it next March.
The college notes that opioid prescribing by Alberta doctors is among the highest in the country, and that Canada is one of the top three countries in the world for painkiller use.
“Data obtained from the Triplicate Prescription Program in 2015 reveals a significant number of Alberta physicians continue to prescribe opioid dosages in excess of the maximum recommended dose in the 2010 Canadian guideline for safe and effective use of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain,” says a memo about the proposed draft standard of practice.