Prescribing by registered nurses and pharmacists - 5. Prescribing of Schedule 8 medicines by pharmacists - Western Australia Department of Health

5.1. How supportive are you of pharmacists issuing prescriptions for Schedule 8 (S8) medicines, even if this is at a future time?

Schedule 8 (S8) medicines (also known as controlled drugs) include medicines such as morphine, oxycodone, tapentadol, dexamfetamine and methylphenidate.

Very supportive Somewhat supportive Neither supportive nor unsupportive Somewhat unsupportive Very unsupportive

5.3. Please select any of the following factors that would increase your level of support for Schedule 8 prescribing by pharmacists:

Limit S8 prescribing to oral opioids for acute pain. Only allow pharmacists to prescribe up to 14 days treatment. Not allow repeats to be prescribed. Only allow pharmacists to prescribe S8 medicines in circumstances where no WA Department of Health authorisation is required (see below for explanation). Only allow prescribing of fully TGA registered products (this means medicinal cannabis would be excluded). Not allow prescribing of stimulant medicines such as lisdexamfetamine, dexamfetamine or methylphenidate, even if the stimulant was commenced by a specialist prescriber. Allow all prescribing of S8 medicines in settings where the patient does not have custody of their medicines, such as for hospital inpatients and people in residential care. Only allow S8 prescribing for adult patients. None of the above factors would increase my support for S8 prescribing by pharmacists.

Prescribing authorisation from the WA Department of Health is required in high-risk circumstances. Examples include:

If the patient is experiencing, or has a history of, drug dependence.
If high doses of opioids are to be prescribed.
If injectable forms of S8 medicines are to be prescribed (except for 'end of life' care).