Deterring and Reducing Opioid Prescribing in Primary care (DROPP)

Impact of the work:

Building on research in CFMHAS on the identification, development, treatment, effectiveness, harms, and experiences of patients and prescribers of prolonged high-dose medication for chronic pain, we have underway a project to identify every patient prescribed high doses of opioids for pain in a local GP cluster and intervene to reduce those doses.

We have a data collection exercise underway on all opioid prescribing and all patients prescribed high doses at an individual GP practice level across BCUHB.

Future potential:

We are about to begin an evaluation of prescribed opioids in a secondary care pain management service.

We plan to begin work soon on patient interviews and on the development of scripted consultations about opioid prescribing for clinicians.

We are developing a collaboration with palliative care colleagues examining opioid prescribing for cancer pain.

Our long-term aim is to create and evaluate a package of measures to assist clinicians in improving the management of opioid prescribing in primary care.