College could force doctors to use PharmaNet after study reveals most ignore it

The body that governs physicians in B.C. says a policy is in the works that will force doctors to start checking patient drug history before writing a prescription.

The move comes on the heels of a new study that revealed less than 30 per cent of doctors actually use the PharmaNet drug tracking system. 

The issue is particularly urgent now that more people in B.C. are dying of opioid overdoses than in alcohol and drug related car crashes every year. 

"Our profession is responsible for writing a lot of the prescriptions that underlie these tragic overdose deaths," said Dr. Ailve McNestry, deputy registrar with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. "We have to take responsibility for that."

McNestry says the new policy is currently being drafted and could be in place by 2016. 

The study was conducted by the the Urban Health Research Initiative and the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. PharmaNet is a province-wide network that tracks all prescription drugs dispensed at B.C. pharmacies.

McNestry believes there are several factors leading to the to the low PharmaNet use by doctors, but that none constitute a justifiable reason for skipping the search. 

"'I have to get patient consent to access PharmaNet, there is a monthly fee, then I actually have to look at it, and that takes time," said McNestry, outlining some of the doctor complaints. "None of these things add up to a single valid excuse for not accessing PharmaNet."