The ACT Government has launched Canberra Script – a real time prescription monitoring system to enable medical professionals to assess patients’ drug history before prescribing and dispensing some medications.
Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said Canberra Script is being implemented to help address the increasing harms caused by some prescription medications – particularly opioids.
“Canberra Script will support medical professionals to make safe and effective prescription decisions,” Minister Stephen-Smith said.
“The system will also enable healthcare professionals to better identify and support patients who may be at risk of harm or dependency. Canberrans should be reassured that the system will not disadvantage patients who have a clinical need for a medicine.”
Over the past decade, drug-induced deaths across Australia have been more likely to be due to prescription drugs than illicit drugs. At the same time, the number of drug-induced deaths nationwide involving opioids has more than tripled.
“Prescription medicines can provide relief from pain after an accident or surgery or alleviate the symptoms of diseases or other conditions. But medicines also have side effects, and some can cause dependence or other harms.
“It’s important for those prescribing and dispensing medications to know what other medications the patient is on or has recently taken, as some medicines can be harmful when taken in high doses or in combination with other medicines,” Minister Stephen-Smith said.
Canberra Script will integrate with the new national Real Time Prescription Monitoring system being implemented across Australia. In the Territory, Canberra Script will replace the Drugs and Poisons Information System Online Remote Access (known as DORA), which has operated since 2019.
