Clinical Case Webinars
Monthly case-based discussions providing a continuing learning environment on clinical matters related to prescribing methadone or buprenorphine pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence.
Register for one of our upcoming webinars or view previous session recordings, including our recent Q&A session on the changes to the Opioid Treatment Program under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
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Upcoming Webinars
Join us for our next OTAC Clinical Case Webinar on Tuesday 10 October at 6pm on ZOOM.
Chronic Pain Management and OAT.
In this session, we will examine cases around chronic pain management and OAT, including for those who are already receiving OAT and when it may be appropriate to consider providing OAT for a patient with chronic prescription opioid use.
The session will be led by Apo Demirkol, Senior Staff Specialist of Drug and Alcohol Services & the Prince of Wales Hospital Pain Management Centre in South Eastern Sydney LHD, and Conjoint Professor in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at UNSW.
Have a question or a suggested case? You can submit this prior to the session by completing the Clinical Case Webinar submission form.
2023 Webinars
In this session, we discuss navigating the provision of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) within the general practice setting. We will explore when, and how to prescribe OAT to clients in different scenarios including those who are already on OAT, and those seeking to start treatment.
This session, held in September, was led by Dr Hester Wilson, a Fellow of the RACGP, a Fellow of Chapter of Addiction Medicine in the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and Chair of the RACGP’s Specific Interest Group in Addiction. Joining in the conversation was Dr May Su, a Fellow of the RACGP, Chair of the RACGP Specific Interest Group Abuse and Violence in Families and is an Australian General Practice Training Supervisor and a Royal Australian College of General Practice Examiner.
The session was facilitated by Dr Sharon Reid, Medical Officer & OTAC Clinical Academic Advisor, and Mr Daniel Winter, OTAC Coordinator, both from the University of Sydney Specialty of Addiction Medicine & Drug Health Services, Sydney Local Health District.
Resources
- SafeScript NSW is a clinical tool that provides prescribers and pharmacists with real time information about their patient’s prescribing and dispensing history for monitored medicines.
- How to Register for SafeScript NSW: Registration is now available for all APHRA registered prescribers and pharmacists practicing in NSW.
- Education and Training: Access several eLearning modules and training about the SafeScript NSW System and more. The modules are accredited as part of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for doctors, pharmacists and nurse practitioners.
- Information for Patients: Prescribers and pharmacists can find useful resources to share with their patients about SafeScript NSW and monitored medicines.
- Clinician Advice Line is a free 24/7 clinical telephone advice service has been established to support prescribers and pharmacists. Assistance includes access to clinical advice for addiction medicine, pain management and mental health, safe de-escalation of high doses of benzodiazepines and opioids, and appropriate management and referral to other clinical services where required.
- Drug & Alcohol Specialist Advisory Service (DASAS) assists health professionals seeking advice about the diagnosis and treatment of patients with alcohol or drug issues in NSW, and is a free service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
In this session, we discuss the role of SafeScript NSW for health professionals who provide patients with opioid agonist treatment (OAT), and includes an overview of SafeScript NSW complemented by OAT-related cases using how SafeScript may be used to inform your practice.
This session, held in August 2023, was led by Stephen Ling, Nurse Practitioner in Drug and Alcohol at John Hunter Hospital, Hunter New England LHD. Stephen is also a Clinical Analyst for the Real Time Prescription Monitoring Program with eHealth NSW. Joining the session included Dr Sharon Reid, Medical Officer & OTAC Clinical Academic Advisor, and Mr Daniel Winter, OTAC Coordinator, both from the University of Sydney Specialty of Addiction Medicine & Drug Health Services, Sydney Local Health District.
Resources
- SafeScript NSW is a clinical tool that provides prescribers and pharmacists with real time information about their patient’s prescribing and dispensing history for monitored medicines.
- How to Register for SafeScript NSW: Registration is now available for all APHRA registered prescribers and pharmacists practicing in NSW.
- Education and Training: Access several eLearning modules and training about the SafeScript NSW System and more. The modules are accredited as part of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for doctors, pharmacists and nurse practitioners.
- Information for Patients: Prescribers and pharmacists can find useful resources to share with their patients about SafeScript NSW and monitored medicines.
- Clinician Advice Line is a free 24/7 clinical telephone advice service has been established to support prescribers and pharmacists. Assistance includes access to clinical advice for addiction medicine, pain management and mental health, safe de-escalation of high doses of benzodiazepines and opioids, and appropriate management and referral to other clinical services where required.
- Drug & Alcohol Specialist Advisory Service (DASAS) assists health professionals seeking advice about the diagnosis and treatment of patients with alcohol or drug issues in NSW, and is a free service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
In this session, we discuss acute pain management consideration for OAT clients, including an overview of several cases that you may come across in your clinical practice, from mild to more severe acute pain, and perioperative pain management.
This session, held in July 2023, was led by Dr Joshua Watt, General Practitioner Specialist and Addiction Medicine Advanced Trainee at Sydney Local Health District Drug Health Services. Joining the session included Dr Sharon Reid, Medical Officer & OTAC Clinical Academic Advisor, and Mr Daniel Winter, OTAC Coordinator, both from the University of Sydney Specialty of Addiction Medicine & Drug Health Services, Sydney Local Health District.
Clinical Guidelines for depot buprenorphine (Buvidal® and Sublocade®) in the treatment of opioid dependence
Other Resources
- Application for Authority to Prescribe or Supply a Schedule 8 Drug-Pain Management is to be used if you intend to prescribe a Schedule 8 opioid (e.g. oxycodone, morphine or fentanyl) or another S8 drug for the management of pain in a patient, as required under the NSW Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966. Additional information on this form is found on the NSW Ministry of Health Website.
- SafeScript NSW is a clinical tool that provides prescribers and pharmacists with real time information about their patient’s prescribing and dispensing history for monitored medicines.
- Clinician Advice Line is a free 24/7 clinical telephone advice service has been established to support prescribers and pharmacists. Assistance includes access to clinical advice for addiction medicine, pain management and mental health, safe de-escalation of high doses of benzodiazepines and opioids, and appropriate management and referral to other clinical services where required.
- Drug & Alcohol Specialist Advisory Service (DASAS) assists health professionals seeking advice about the diagnosis and treatment of patients with alcohol or drug issues in NSW, and is a free service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Following a announcement by the Federal Government in the 2023 Budget, major changes to the funding of medications under the opioid treatment program (which include methadone and buprenorphine pharmacotherapies for the treatment of opioid use disorder) commence on 1 July 2023.
In this special webinar Q&A session, we will provide an update on this announcement and what it may mean for health professionals who provide opioid treatment pharmacotherapies in various settings within New South Wales.
Leading the discussion will be Prof Paul Haber, Clinical Director of Drug Health Services SLHD & Head of the Specialty of Addiction Medicine at the University of Sydney. We also hear from representatives from the NSW Ministry of Health and professional stakeholders that provide opioid agonist treatment.
Webinar Resources
- Commonwealth Department of Health, Opioid Dependence Treatment Program. This website provides a summary of key changes to relating to the listing of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) pharmacotherapies on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Schedule. Along with an overview fact sheet of the key changes, this page includes additional fact sheets for prescribers, community and hospital pharmacists, those who receive OAT, and transition arrangements for private clinics and non-PBS approved dosing sites.
- Pharmacy Programs Administrator, Opioid Dependence Treatment (ODT) Community Pharmacy Program. Specific information of benefit to community pharmacies is also provided by the Pharmacy Programs Administrator, including information on the program rollout, and other information related to these changes.
We will aim to provide the most recent information related to these changes, but note that some information may no longer be current in the recording or in the presented fact sheets. Any major changes that occur since this recording will be summarised here.
In this session, we discuss the common clinical challenges that you may experience when providing clinical care to people who are prescribed opioid agonist treatment pharmacotherapies.
This session, held in May 2023, was led by Prof Paul Haber, Head of Specialty of Addiction Medicine, University of Sydney & Clinical Director of Sydney Local Health District Drug Health Services. Prof Haber is also the academic lead of the OTAC Program. Four cases are presented to highlight key clinical considerations, with cases related to a patient in prison, a patient with few medial record details, a routine clinical appointment, and a positive urine drug screen.
NSW Clinical Guidelines: 
Treatment of
Opioid Dependence
Hard copies of the guidelines can be requested from:
moh-populationhealthresources@health.nsw.gov.au
In this session, we discuss a range of sedating substances and how they can impact on OAT, how can we best manage patients on OAT who are also using sedating substances, and how to manage patients on OAT with polysubstance use.
Leading this session was Dr Rowena Penafiel, Advanced Trainee in Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and Addiction Medicine at Drug Health Services, Sydney Local Health District. Joining in the conversation included over 70 attendees for this session, alongside Dr Sharon Reid, Medical Officer & OTAC Clinical Academic Advisor, and Mr Daniel Winter, OTAC Coordinator, both from the University of Sydney Specialty of Addiction Medicine & Drug Health Services, Sydney Local Health District.
Webinar Resources
Download presentation slides (PDF)
NSW Clinical Guidelines: Treatment of
Opioid Dependence
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- Benzodiazepine use – illicit and prescribed
- Assessment for people with benzodiazepine use
- Strategies for benzodiazepine management (Table 25)
- Situations that influence treatment planning (polydrug use, chronic pain)
- Chronic and acute pain management
- Key drug interactions (Table 27)
- Other drug interactions
- Responding to continued substance use
- Assessments for people on opioid agonist treatment
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Hard copies of the guidelines can be requested from:
moh-populationhealthresources@health.nsw.gov.au
Clinical Guidelines for depot buprenorphine (Buvidal® and Sublocade®) in the treatment of opioid dependence
Other Resources
- SafeScript NSW is a clinical tool that provides prescribers and pharmacists with real time information about their patient’s prescribing and dispensing history for monitored medicines
- Clinician Advice Line is a free 24/7 clinical telephone advice service has been established to support prescribers and pharmacists. Assistance includes access to clinical advice for addiction medicine, pain management and mental health, safe de-escalation of high doses of benzodiazepines and opioids, and appropriate management and referral to other clinical services where required.
- Drug & Alcohol Specialist Advisory Service (DASAS) assists health professionals seeking advice about the diagnosis and treatment of patients with alcohol or drug issues in NSW, and is a free service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
In this session, we discuss key the challenges you may come across when transferring a patient to buprenorphine pharmacotherapies for treating opioid dependence, including highlighting the potential role for microdosing transfers. What are the options for buprenorphine transfers and initiation? What factors can complicate initiation onto buprenorphine and how do we manage them?
Leading this session was Dr Chris Tremonti, Addiction Specialist and Clinical Pharmacologist at St Vincent’s Drug and Alcohol Services. Joining in the conversation included over 75 attendees for this session, alongside Dr Sharon Reid, Medical Officer & OTAC Clinical Academic Advisor, and Mr Daniel Winter, OTAC Coordinator, both from the University of Sydney Specialty of Addiction Medicine & Drug Health Services, Sydney Local Health District.
Webinar Resources
Download presentation slides (PDF)
NSW Clinical Guidelines: Treatment of
Opioid Dependence
Hard copies of the guidelines can be requested from:
moh-populationhealthresources@health.nsw.gov.au
Clinical Guidelines for depot buprenorphine (Buvidal® and Sublocade®) in the treatment of opioid dependence
2022 Webinars
This webinar topic was on switching between & within OAT pharmacotherapies, facilitated by: Dr Joshua Watt, Dr Sharon Reid, Mr Daniel Winter, of the Specialty of Addiction Medicine, University of Sydney & Sydney Local Health District Drug Health Services. This session was recorded on Tuesday 22nd November 2022.
In this webinar, we discuss what clinicians should consider when transferring a patient between methadone, sublingual buprenorphine or depot buprenorphine pharmacotherapies. Within the discussion we reflect upon clinical considerations that may impact on medication choice, including common pitfalls, patient preference, and patients who may be pregnant.
Webinar Resources
Download presentation slides (PDF)
NSW Clinical Guidelines: Treatment of
Opioid Dependence
Hard copies of the guidelines can be requested from:
moh-populationhealthresources@health.nsw.gov.au
Clinical Guidelines for depot buprenorphine (Buvidal® and Sublocade®) in the treatment of opioid dependence
This webinar topic was on OAT takeaway connundrums, facilitated by: Prof Paul Haber, Dr Sharon Reid, Mr Daniel Winter of the Specialty of Addiction Medicine, University of Sydney & Sydney Local Health District Drug Health Services. This session was recorded on Tuesday 6th September 2022.
In this webinar, we discuss the clinical conundrums to consider around providing takeaways to a patient on OAT. What are the risks and benefits of providing takeaways? What should you do if you need to consider going outside the guidance for takeaways? We also ask the audience what their experiences have been in providing takeaways to patients, or what challenges that they have faced in their clinical practice.
Webinar Resources
Download presentation slides (PDF)
NSW Clinical Guidelines: Treatment of
Opioid Dependence
Hard copies of the guidelines can be requested from:
moh-populationhealthresources@health.nsw.gov.au