Oxycodone often initiated in secondary care

Dear bpac

Your recent article about oxycodone (Oxycodone – Place in therapy, BPJ 24 November 2009) raises the issue of best practice across the primary/secondary care interface. It seems that in order for primary care to undertake “best practice” medicine, messages need to be addressed at the secondary care level also.

For example a significant and increasing proportion of scripts for oxycodone are initiated in secondary care. Once a patient has been commenced on oxycodone, it is not usually in the patient’s best interest to then negotiate a change to morphine.

There is an opportunity for primary care to take a greater leadership role in best practice in diagnostics and therapeutics across the primary/secondary care interface.

GP, Nelson.