reports from council
of any changes in their name that is used or
will be used in the member’s practice.
photo: D.W. Dorken
Safeguarding our Communities Act
Council considered several elements of work
related to the Safeguarding our Communities
Act, 2015. This Act establishes a “patch-forpatch” fentanyl return program for Ontario which will require patients who receive
prescriptions for fentanyl to return their used
patches to a pharmacy in order to receive new
ones. It sets out specific requirements for both
physicians and pharmacists when prescribing
and/or dispensing fentanyl.
Council approved a Fact Sheet, drafted
in collaboration between the College and
the Ontario College of Pharmacists, which
articulates both Colleges’ general support for
the patch-for-patch legislation, and which
describes the new requirements for physicians
and pharmacists under the Act.
Earlier, the College provided to the Ministry a response in relation to a draft regulation developed under the Act. The College
expressed support for the draft regulation,
but emphasized that the proposed regulation alone may have a limited effect on
the overall incidence of opioid abuse and
overdose. The submission recommended
specific, proactive strategies to promote a
more co-ordinated, system-wide approach
to mitigating opioid abuse, including giving physicians greater access to provincial
narcotics monitoring data that will help
them confirm the patient’s prescription
history.
Council also approved several housekeeping amendments to the Prescribing Drugs
policy which reflect the new legislation, as
well as several other recent changes on the
opioid front. The changes include referenc-
ing the release of the CDC’s guideline for
prescribing opioids, and Health Canada’s
decision to make naloxone available without
a prescription.
An article about the fentanyl legislation is on
page 13. An article about naloxone is on page 19.
Preliminary Consultation – Physicians
and Health Emergencies
The College’s Physicians and Health Emergencies policy is currently under review and
we would like to hear what you think about
its current expectations as part of our preliminary consultation. The purpose of this policy
is to reaffirm the profession’s commitment to
the public in times of health emergencies.
MD
Issue 3, 2016 Dialogue
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