PCA’s response to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) Opioid Analgesic Stewardship in Acute Pain Clinical Care Standard identifies the unique needs of palliative care patients within general acute settings.  PCA recognises the need to have strong stewardship on the use of opioids in acute settings to reduce inappropriate prescribing and risk of misuse and abuse of opioids.  However, palliative care patients are at risk of unintended harm through reduced or ceased opioid prescribing which can lead to increased pain and suffering. Where palliative care patients are hospitalised for acute episodes that may or may not be related to their life-limiting illness, they require additional consideration in the prescription of opioid analgesics, to both manage the underlying pain related to their life-limiting illness and the concurrent pain condition.  They are best served by the involvement of specialist pain and palliative care teams.  Palliative care patients need to be identified as a specific cohort requiring additional assessment and pain management.

PCA Submission to ACSQHC Opioid Analgesic Stewardship in Acute Pain Clinical Care Standard 2021