The Chronic Opioid Prescriber Tool identifies the most important influences on the prescribing behaviour of GPs within practices, Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and their constituent practices; and sustainability transformational partnerships (STPs) when prescribing opioids.
Being in control of prescribing spend in a therapeutic area such as pain relief is crucial if NHS organisations are going to cope with the projected increase in numbers of ageing patients (who either have chronic pain or require opioids for palliative care); the increasing addiction to opioids; the introduction of expensive new drugs and the financial strictures imposed on local NHS organisations.
The Chronic Opioid Prescriber tool can help local NHS organisations identify and then alter the main levers for change of prescribing behaviour within their organisation. It provides data not just for reducing prescribing spend but also analyses how the treatment of chronic and palliative pain and opioid addiction is managed at a local level. For some organisations it might be more important to redesign services, for others it might be more important to work with practices with similar populations to reduce prescribing variation.
The Tool has been developed as a result of a recent PhD that examined the influences on prescribing by developing and applying a widely used health services research concept called the Donabedian ‘Structure – Process – Outcome’ model. Non-clinical influences on prescribing have been identified and the Donabedian model adapted in order to explore the relationship between prescribing influences on GPs in primary care organisations in England.
For more information or a demonstration of the tool, please contact us on 01823 321211
