title: A profile of therapeutic opioid dependent persons in Queensland.
abstract: This paper describes the philosophy and practice of the Drugs of Dependence Unit, Queensland Health, with regard to the collection and evaluation of dangerous drug prescription data. Using patient information extracted from the Monitoring of Dangerous Drugs Computer System and patient files at the unit, the paper presents a profile of 335 therapeutic opioid dependent persons who constituted the entire therapeutic caseload of the unit as at June 1992. The data include medical history, drug details, initial and final diagnosis, an escalation factor, and prognosis. Profile findings detail the prescribing patterns of medical practitioners and highlight the importance of continuous monitoring and review in the care and management of therapeutic opioid dependent persons.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ramm
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilks
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D009294:Narcotics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D015397:Program Evaluation; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy