This page contains links to resources related to drugs and medicines that may be of interest to anaesthetists, pain specialists and medical professionals.
Australian
New Zealand
Australia
New Zealand
Prescribing drugs of dependence in general practice: Part C1 - Opioids by
This guide has been produced largely in response to increasing community and clinical concerns about the use and safety of opioids. This isn’t a new problem. We’ve been exploiting the analgesic (and other) properties of the opium poppy since prehistoric times. Perhaps the peak of use was during the Great Binge (~1870–1914) when opium and its derivatives were hailed as medical miracles and used by young and old. Mothers gave opium to their ‘fussy’ infants and Bayer made heroin for headaches, coughs, period pains and even as a cure for morphine addiction. Today, opioids are ‘controlled’ through both medical and legal systems. Despite this, opioid use has been fuelled by drug company marketing, inappropriate therapeutic ideals, and a broad public demand for analgesia for chronic pain. The use of opioids has increased to a point where inappropriate prescribing and harm has ensued. Clinical governance has never been more important. General practitioners (GPs) must prescribe these drugs judiciously in order to protect patients from harm. This means acting in accordance with national and state regulations, accountable prescribing, and particularly with opioids, understanding pain and pain management.
Australia
New Zealand
Australia
New Zealand
National Quality Use of Medicines Indicators for Australian Hospitals by
The National Quality Use of Medicines Indicators are process indicators. They do not directly measure outcomes from medicines use. They do, however, focus on areas where the link between process and outcome is clearly established, so they are clinically meaningful to clinicians and their patients. They have been developed with input from doctors, pharmacists, nurses, consumers and managers around Australia.
Australia
New Zealand
ANZCA acknowledges the traditional custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises their unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past, present, and emerging.
ANZCA acknowledges and respects Māori as the Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa and is committed to upholding the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, fostering the college’s relationship with Māori, supporting Māori fellows and trainees, and striving to improve the health of Māori.
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