Chris Varghese: Junior Doctor on the over-prescription of opioids

Published: April 30, 2023, 8:03 p.m.

There are claims that highly addictive pain medications are being over-prescribed post-surgery in New Zealand.

Auckland University research, led by medical students, has found surgeons prescribe double the number of opioids a patient actually consumes.

It's found patients will take more drugs if they have more.

Middlemore Hospital Junior Doctor Chris Varghese told Mike Hosking that he hopes the study leads to a change.

He says it offers healthcare workers practical guidelines, to prescribe based on need.

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