Pharmacy pre-review impacts opioid prescribing

With so much attention being focused on the harm associated with prescription opioid use, especially amongst people treated with high dose opioids for chronic pain, interventions focused upon achieving harm reduction are most welcome.  Researchers have recently reported the results of a study where patients with an appointment for chronic pain services and who were being prescribed >50 morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs)/day had charts reviewed by a clinical pharmacist before appointments, with recommendations were conveyed electronically to the prescriber before the appointment. Mean MMEs/day decreased by 14% (P < .001), with no change in pain scores (P = .783). The researchers also noted increased compliance with guideline recommendations. Read more here