Among the knowledge gaps I think there are three areas in particular that we can focus on. This again was a subject of the discussion with the FPT ministers of health. One is on prescription monitoring programs and the understanding of what exactly is occurring across the country in that regard. The next is the surveillance and understanding of the extent, effect, and impact of prescription drug use and abuse. Third is around the area of prescriber education.
Not to focus singularly and solely on prescribers, that nonetheless certainly surfaced as part of the discussion in First Do No Harm as a significant component to this issue. That was one of the first challenges we had to wrestle with as a committee: what is prescription drug abuse? We clearly it as being on dual tracks. One is a purely therapeutic track, a medical track if you wish. The other is outside of that in illicit drug use—in other words using these drugs for purely illicit purposes.
Within the therapeutic track we determined very clearly that greater understanding and attention to prescriber education was necessary for all forms of physicians, in general practice and the other. This is from the physicians themselves. Also, there is the ability to understand, particularly around opiates, when opiate prescription is appropriate and when it is not appropriate and how best they can serve individuals with short-term acute pain in particular.