NEWS - Report call European opioid regulations outdated hindrance to care

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Report calls European opioid regulations outdated hindrance to care

Rheumawire

Jul 1, 2005

Gandey

Brussels, Belgium - Experts are calling European policies and

regulations for opioid use disparate and antiquated. The group, known as the

Opioids and Pain European Network of Minds, or Open Minds, includes 25

leading pain-management specialists from 14 European countries, and it

argues that this limiting approach to pain medication is contributing to

inadequate treatment across Europe [1]. " One of the primary healthcare goals

for all countries should be the provision of appropriate treatment for

people suffering from chronic pain, " the team's chair, Dr Eckhard Beubler

(Universitat Graz, Austria), told reporters. " This means ensuring adequate

access to opioid medicinesa situation that this research demonstrates is not

universal across Europe. "

The group found that in each of the 17 countries studied,

prescriptions for strong opioids must be filled differently from those for

other medications. A large number of countries demand strong opioid

prescription forms unlike those for other medicines, and, in some cases,

complicated triplicate forms must be completed. In many countries, doctors

must travel in person to regional offices to obtain the forms needed to

prescribe strong opioids and, in some regions, are even required to pay for

these forms themselves.

Beubler and colleagues say that even the language and terminology used

in many countries to describe opioids is negative. For example, in Germany,

the group of all narcotics, including opioids, is referred to as

" Betäubungsmittel, " which translates to " the means to knock one out. " In

Austria, prescription forms are known as " Suchtgiftrezepte " or

" addictive-poison prescription forms. "

Coauthor Dr Margarita Puig (Hospital Universitario del Mar, Barcelona,

Spain) added that the work highlights the extent to which legal, regulatory,

cultural, and economic factors impede on the treatment of chronic pain

across Europe. " Most important, " she said, " the research illustrates a

fundamental misunderstanding of the impact of pain and the important role

that strong opioids play in the management of chronic pain. "

In the white paper coauthored by the group, the experts:

Call for governments to review existing policies

affecting access to strong opioids for use in pain management.

Advise that governments recognize the rights of

people with chronic pain, allow them to access the full range of treatments

available, and reimburse all authorized treatments at the same level.

Ask that governments also take the lead in combating

the stigma surrounding strong opioids by promoting their effectiveness in

restoring quality of life and educating about the management of side

effects.

Propose that all doctors have free and easy access

to the forms necessary for prescribing strong opioids.

Suggest that prescription lengths of treatment

reflect the needs of the individual patient and recognize the importance of

regular monitoring by the prescribing doctor.

Submit that the role of opioids in pain management

form a more substantial part of medical undergraduate training and

continuing medical education.

" The data show us that chronic pain has a huge economic impact in

European countries today and that this is partly because it is not being

managed very well by doctors, " Dr Beverly Collett (Leicester Royal Infirmary

NHS Trust, UK) said in a recent news release. " We have got to educate

primary-care physicians, hospital specialists, and the patients themselves

to ask for better pain relief. "

Dr Harald Breivik (Rikshospitalet University Hospital in Oslo, Norway)

adds that a UK study of more than 3000 physicians found that 15% did not

recall receiving any education on pain control. " Chronic pain is a complex

disease, but it is a disease we can manage. To lift the barriers to

effective pain management, we need a commitment to education and

communication. " He points out that pain deserves the same consideration as

any other disease that affects 20% of the population.

Source

1. Beubler E, Jaksch W, Devulder J, et al for the Open

Minds group. White paper on opioids and pain: A pan-European challenge. June

15, 2005. Available at: http://www.openmindsonline.org.

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