An effective approach can only be achieved by a national strategy for averting opioid‐related deaths
Opioid overdose‐related deaths in Australia have steadily increased over the past 15 years to more than 1000 each year, more deaths than from motor vehicle accidents.1,2 Twenty years ago, most overdoses were in people who injected heroin, but now 70% of deaths involve opioids prescribed by doctors and dispensed by pharmacists.1,2 Our health system must respond to this growing community and public health problem. A number of strategies have been recommended,3 including better education of health professionals and opioid users; hospital opioid stewardship programs; improving access to multidisciplinary services for patients with complex pain or substance use disorders; better coordination of health care with systems such as My Health Record and prescription monitoring programs; and the expansion of take home naloxone (THN) programs.4
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- 13. Australian Department of Health. About the take home naloxone pilot. Updated 14 Nov 2019. https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/take-home-naloxone-pilot/about-the-take-home-naloxone-pilot (viewed Dec 2019).
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I have sat on advisory boards for Mundipharma, Camurus, and Indivior, have received research funding from Camurus, and provided consultancy services for Mundipharma.