Dialogue Volume 12 Issue 4 2016 | Page 8

from the registrar ’ s desk
jurisdictions , and as Dr . Philpott warned , it won ’ t be solved overnight . But I did leave the summit thinking that the issue may have finally found traction .
In addition to pledging to make NMS data available to physicians , the Ontario government also promised to provide all physicians in the province with reports that show how their opioid prescribing compares to that of their peers and to best practices . I think this will be enormously helpful to physicians . It will serve to reassure many doctors that they are prescribing within the norm . Or , if a physician finds that he or she is indeed an outlier , it could prompt them to take steps to learn more about appropriate prescribing . This College also committed to the joint action plan , detailing where we can make the biggest impact in addressing the opioid crisis . As Ontario ’ s medical regulator , our efforts will be focused on ensuring safe prescribing practices . In my last letter to you , I told you about our efforts regarding those physicians whose prescribing practices have been flagged by the NMS as potentially concerning . Upon receipt of this information , we are considering the accuracy of the data , and the clinical context in which prescribing occurs , and then seeking information from the prescribing physician in order to better understand and evaluate the prescribing . We will continue to investigate these high risk matters , but we also want to be able to educate physicians on lower risk matters . As we state in our action plan , we want to ensure the development of a variety of educational interventions , including tools , that are tailored to the individual needs of prescribers . I urge you to read more about our plan on page 25 .
The College believes that the prescribing of opioids under the right conditions is critical for good patient care . Our efforts to understand and question certain prescribing practices are not intended to discourage appropriate opioid prescribing . In fact , refusing to prescribe opioids to patients who need them or suddenly ceasing to prescribe to patients currently on opioid therapy can have significant consequences on patient access and can increase the risk of overdose . I look forward to reporting to you regularly on this issue , as we deliver on each and every single action committed to in our plan . MD

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Elaine McNinch , Managing Editor
Mailing address : College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario 80 College St , Toronto , ON , M5G 2E2 Fax : ( 416 ) 961-8035 Email : editor @ cpso . on . ca
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Dialogue Issue 4 , 2016