Supporting the safe use of monitored drugs
Prescription Monitoring Programs (PMPs) are a tool to help manage the potential risks of prescribing, dispensing, and using prescription medications that can lead to problematic use. Monitored drugs include opioids such as Dilaudid (hydromorphone) and Percocet (oxycodone), and controlled drugs such as Ritalin (methylphenidate), and Ativan (lorazepam).
The NB PMP aims to reduce prescription drug misuse and diversion, support safer and coordinated patient care, and promote appropriate prescribing practices. Authorized healthcare providers can access and use PMP information to make safe more informed decisions about patient care.
The NB PMP receives prescription information from all community pharmacies within New Brunswick. Privacy and security of patient information is strictly enforced. Authorized health care providers may access information only for patients under their care.
The NB PMP is carefully planning program changes and future developments in collaboration with stakeholders using a balanced approach and considers unintended consequences such as stigmatization of patients, and inadequately managed pain.
The NB PMP receives recommendations from the PMP Advisory Committee, composed of members representing multiple health professions, including pharmacy, medicine, nursing, dentistry, optometrists, and veterinarians.
Launch of New PMP
New Brunswick has launched a new and improved PMP. As the first PMP technology solution in Canada to include prescription information on all drugs, it is a comprehensive medication history and assessment tool.
Health-care providers will have access to comprehensive patient prescription histories enabling them to identify potential misuse or abuse, better coordinate care and ensure appropriate prescribing practices.
The new PMP, MaveRx NB (“pronounced Mavericks NB”) features risk indicators, visual analytical tools, and prescriber-set notifications that help clinicians assess potential harm to a patient and manage their progress on medication treatments.
For example, prescribers and pharmacists can assess risk of harm due to:
- Potentially high doses and long-term use
- Multiple prescriptions for similar monitored drugs
- Different pharmacies where prescriptions have been filled
- Possible risky combinations of monitored drugs
Health-care providers can also draw insights about their prescribing practices with their own individualized prescriber reports that allow them to assess how their prescribing may affect their patients based on multiple risk metrics. MaveRx NB also supports a busy health-care provider’s workflow by allowing their team to act as delegates to access the system and search for patients on their behalf.
Registration is now open to all authorized health-care providers and their delegates in New Brunswick. More information is available by emailing [email protected].