THOUSANDS of General Practitioners will receive a letter in the coming days from the Department of Health (DoH) aimed at cutting inappropriate prescribing of psychotrophic medicines, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' (RACGP's) newsGP revealed.
However, RACGP President, Dr Harry Nespolon, said GPs did not need a reminder of the role the drugs play in aged care patient management.
"GPs know that chemical restraints in aged care facilities are the last resort. Those aren't my words, they're what GPs who work in these facilities every day have told me," he said.
"While there has been significant attention on this practice in the wake of the Royal Commission, it's important to note that chemical restraint is not the norm -- it is rare."
Commenting on the article, Dr Peter James Strickland, accuse "some of those in the DoH" of being ill-placed to make decisions about psychotrophic medication use in aged care.
"Responsible relatives of demented patients are the ones who best know if their loved one need psychotrophic medications in conjunction with the doctor and nursing home staff," he said.
"Any experienced and ethical GPs do not need distant bureaucratic DoH personnel telling them how to treat patients, nor relatives who have failed to properly acquaint themselves of the sometimes difficulties in some elderly patient's care."
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