The web-based resource, which is funded by Public Health England, has been developed by a number of healthcare professionals and policy groups with the aim of making the guidance relevant for all those who prescribe and take opioid medicines.
Contributors include the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, NHS England, NICE and the CQC.
For healthcare professionals, the resource provides information (and links to further useful resources) on topics such the clinical uses of opioids, good practice in prescribing, record keeping and the legislation around controlled drugs.
There is also information for patients who may be taking opioid medication, including some frequently asked questions such as ‘What if I forget or miss a dose?’ and ‘Can I drive when I’m taking opioids?’
The new guidance has been released as the number of prescriptions for opioid painkillers increases – there were over 22 million prescriptions written in England in 2014. Prescriptions of opioid medicines for long-term pain accounts for most of the increase, despite the fact that they are often ineffective in tackling this condition.
Around 4% of the population in England and Wales has a prescription for opioids and more than 5% of adults in England and Wales have used opioid medicines that were not prescribed for them in the past 12 months.
It is hoped that Opioids Aware will promote the safe and rational use of opioid medicines, and help improve awareness of existing guidance surrounding their use.
Dr Ros Taylor, national director for hospice care at Hospice UK, welcomed the report.
“Opioids, which include medicines such as morphine, are confidently and safely used by hospices throughout the UK and there is much experience in the hospice sector to train others in their safer use,” she said. “Their use in terminal illness is well understood, and pain is a much-feared symptom that needs skilled help to allow people to make best use of precious time.”
“This report is particularly concerned with the huge increase in opioids used long term for chronic pain and the issues that need to be considered to ensure appropriate prescribing.”
The new resource is hosted by the Faculty of Pain Medicine, and is available on the faculty’s website.
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