FEATURE
The proposed policy recognizes that there
are some patients who may, for good reason,
remain on doses that are higher.
14
DIALOGUE ISSUE 2, 2019
between the physician and the patient,” said
Dr. Wooder.
In fact, he said, the proposed policy
recognizes that there are some patients who
may, for good reason, remain on doses that
are higher than the doses specified in recom-
mended guidelines. Dr. Wooder said that in
such situations the proposed policy simply
asks physicians to document their considered
reasoning.
Other proposed changes include:
r emoving unnecessary overlap with guid-
ance and/or expectations communicated in
existing clinical practice guidelines;
additional expectations for physicians with
respect to establishing treatment goals
and realistic patient expectations; and
additional detail to help physicians fulfill
the requirement to review a patient’s pre-
scribing history in advance of prescribing
opioids for chronic pain
Please read the draft policy at www.cpso.on.ca
and provide us with your feedback. Your
comments are important to us.
MD
more understandable,”said
Dr. Wooder, a Stoney Creek
Family Physician.
While the draft policy
proposes to remove a signifi-
cant amount of existing content,
some
additional information has
Dr. Scott Wooder
been added to address those key areas
of uncertainty which have been articulated
during the preliminary consultation. For
example, in response to questions about how
to respond to patient noncompliance with a
prescription monitoring plan, we’ve added
new expectations; and in response to ques-
tions about the prohibition against blanket
no-refill policies, we’ve provided additional
explanation.
While the draft policy clearly leaves the
prescribing decisions in the hands of the
treating physician, it also emphasizes the need
for discussion and collaboration with the
patient, whenever possible.
“There was a concern that some physicians
may abruptly taper or even discontinue their
patients’ prescriptions. And we felt that we
needed to address that, and make clear that
such decisions should be a collaborative effort