Ethics and professionalism CPD for health practitioners in Australia [email protected]
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Online course · Australia

Safe Prescribing of Schedule 8 and High-Risk Medicines in Australia

Permits, Real-Time Prescription Monitoring, Opioid Stewardship and Record-Keeping

  • About 3 hours
  • 20 scenario questions
  • Reflective account
  • Certificate of completion
  • Online, self-paced

About this course

Schedule 8 and other high-risk medicines are where prescribing law, clinical judgement and patient pressure meet most sharply, and they feature heavily in notifications about prescribers. This three-hour course explains the rules across Australian jurisdictions and how to prescribe these medicines safely.

The course explains scheduling and why Schedule 8 is different, who may prescribe and within what limits, what National Boards expect and the scale of harm from medicines of dependence. It then covers high-risk medicines, Schedule 4 drugs of dependence, signs of dependence, misuse and diversion, and patients at the margins, including older people, young people and pregnancy.

A section on permits and authorities explains what they are for, the drug-dependent person rule, opioid dependence treatment, psychostimulants, medicinal cannabis, psychedelic-assisted therapy and cross-border care. Real-time prescription monitoring is covered in practice: how it works, when you must check, reading the record and its limits.

Later sections deal with opioid stewardship from starting to tapering, naloxone, benzodiazepines and z-drugs, psychostimulants, telehealth prescribing, requests from yourself and those close to you, writing lawful prescriptions, records, storage, registers, loss and theft, difficult conversations and why prescribing leads to notifications.

What you will learn

  • See how the Poisons Standard, your state or territory law, PBS rules and Board standards fit together for Schedule 8 medicines
  • Identify the medicines, combinations and patient factors that push overdose risk up
  • Know when to apply for a permit, authority or approval, including for drug-dependent people and stimulants
  • Check real-time prescription monitoring and discuss what it shows openly with the patient
  • Start, review and taper opioids for acute and chronic pain with a clear plan
  • Make naloxone and a short overdose plan part of every opioid conversation
  • Say no to requests from family, friends, colleagues or yourself, and take care with telehealth scripts
  • Write lawful scripts and keep records, storage and registers in order

Who this course is for

  • General practitioners and specialists who prescribe drugs of dependence
  • Nurse practitioners and midwives with scheduled medicines authority
  • Dentists who prescribe analgesics
  • Pharmacists who dispense and counsel on Schedule 8 medicines
  • Prescribers providing telehealth care

How the course works

  1. Enrol online and the course appears under My Courses in your Probity Courses account, ready to open on a computer, tablet or phone.

  2. Work through 8 sections and 32 short lessons in order, at your own pace. Your place is saved in the browser you use, so you can stop and come back.

  3. Use the key points, scenarios and reflection prompts in each section, and write your own notes as you go; they stay with your course pack.

  4. Finish with a 20-question final assessment. You need 16 correct answers (80%) to pass, and you can retake it after a short pause if needed.

  5. Write your reflective account, submit the short feedback form and your completion is recorded. Download a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time (about 3 hours); record the time you actually spend.

Course content

9 sections · About 3 hours · 20-question final assessment

1The Legal and Professional Framework for Schedule 8 Prescribing4 lessons
  • Scheduling, the Poisons Standard and Why Schedule 8 Is Different
  • Who May Prescribe, and Within What Limits
  • What Your National Board Expects of a Prescriber
  • The Scale of Harm and Why Stewardship Matters
2Recognising High-Risk Medicines and High-Risk Situations4 lessons
  • What Makes a Medicine High Risk
  • Schedule 4 Drugs of Dependence
  • Recognising Dependence, Misuse and Diversion
  • Patients at the Margins: Older People, Young People and Pregnancy
3Permits, Authorities and Special Prescribing Regimes4 lessons
  • What Permits, Authorities and Approvals Are For
  • The Drug-Dependent Person Rule
  • Opioid Dependence Treatment and Psychostimulants
  • Medicinal Cannabis, Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy and Cross-Border Care
4Real-Time Prescription Monitoring in Practice4 lessons
  • How Real-Time Prescription Monitoring Works
  • When You Must Check, and What Happens If You Do Not
  • Reading the Record and Talking With the Patient
  • What Monitoring Cannot Tell You
5Opioid Stewardship: Starting, Reviewing and Stopping4 lessons
  • Opioids for Acute Pain
  • Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: Trials, Goals and Review
  • Tapering and Deprescribing Safely
  • Naloxone and Overdose Prevention
6Benzodiazepines, Psychostimulants and Prescribing Pressures4 lessons
  • Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs
  • Psychostimulants: Diagnosis, Approval and Diversion Risk
  • Telehealth Prescribing of Drugs of Dependence
  • Requests From Yourself, Family, Friends and Colleagues
7Prescriptions, Records, Storage and Reporting4 lessons
  • Writing a Lawful and Safe Schedule 8 Prescription
  • Clinical Records for Drugs of Dependence
  • Storage, Registers and Destruction
  • Loss, Theft, Forgery and Reporting Obligations
8Difficult Conversations and Professional Accountability4 lessons
  • Saying No, Saying Not Yet and Saying Less
  • Managing Pressure, Distress and Aggression
  • Why Prescribing Leads to Notifications
  • Building a Safe Prescribing System in Your Practice
9Conclusion, Final Assessment and Reflection4 lessons
  • Conclusion and key points
  • References and quick-reference guide
  • Final assessment (20 questions, 80% pass mark)
  • Your reflective account

Assessment and certificate

  • Certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time (about 3 hours); record the time you actually spend.
  • A written reflective account you can keep with your CPD records.

Questions about this course

Do Schedule 8 rules differ between states?

Yes. Permits, authorities, monitoring requirements and record-keeping rules are set by each state and territory. The course explains the common framework and points you to the specific rules where you practise.

Must I check the monitoring system before every Schedule 8 script?

In several jurisdictions checking is mandatory before prescribing or dispensing certain monitored medicines. The course sets out when a check is required and the consequences of skipping it.

Can I prescribe opioids for a family member?

The course explains why Boards and state laws strongly restrict prescribing drugs of dependence for yourself, family, friends and colleagues, and how to respond to such requests.

Is naloxone covered?

Yes. A lesson covers offering naloxone and overdose education, including through the national Take Home Naloxone program.

Can I count this course towards my CPD?

That is your call under your Board's CPD standard: you choose activities that match your scope and the learning needs in your plan. If this course fits, file the certificate of completion, record the time you actually spend and note one change you will make in practice.

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