The Australian Medical Association of Queensland (AMAQ) has backed a coroner’s recommendation for changes to prevent the practice of ‘doctor shopping’, after the death of a Toowoomba nurse in the state’s south.
Katie Lee Howman died from an accidental overdose of pain medication in 2013.
An inquest found she had been doctor shopping to about 30 professionals for prescriptions.
Coroner Christine Clements recommended urgent government changes to enable real-time access to a patient’s medical history.
AMAQ president Chris Zappala agrees.
“You need that information to be right there at your fingertips immediately so that you can act on it when you’re actually speaking to the patient,” he said.
“It’s no good if that information comes back to you that afternoon or a day later.
“They’re able to immediately recognise that even on a one-off consultation and give the person the appropriate help, so I think it’s an excellent suggestion heading in the right direction.”
A spokesman for the federal Department of Health said it had established an ‘Electronic Recording and Reporting of Controlled Drugs’ system, which was available for states to use.