Tapentadol death shows SafeScript ‘not working or not being used’ by GPs: coroner
The doctors received red alerts yet failed to check the patient's prescribing history, an investigation found.
A patient who overdosed on tapentadol and oxycodone triggered 77 red flags in the real-time prescription monitoring system SafeScript, but doctors only checked his prescribing history on six occasions, a coroner has found.
Victorian Coroner Audrey Jamieson has criticised almost a dozen doctors for their prescribing as well as the state Department of Health, saying it should have warned prescribers they were breaking the law by not checking SafeScript when required.
