Hopkins Centre Bright Sparks grant recipient, Kristen Tynan presents findings at the 2025 Australian Pain Society's 45th Annual Scientific Meeting
The Hopkins Centre's Bight Sparks Clinical Fellowship recipient, Kristin Tynan recently presented the findings of her project 'How does waiting for access to The Metro South Pain Rehabilitation Centre affect patients’ use of high risk monitored medicines?' at the 2025 Australian Pain Society 45th Annual Scientific Meeting in Melbourne on 15th April.
The study, which analysed 500 patients over a 2-year period at MS Pain Rehabilitation Centre, found that while 82% of patients were prescribed opioids at referral, the wait time did not significantly affect opioid doses at the first appointment. However, the combination of opioids with gabapentinoids or benzodiazepines raised concerns about the risks of respiratory depression and overdose. I highlighted the need for better triaging practices and reduced wait times to manage high-risk medication combinations. The findings were well-received.
The manuscript has been also submitted to the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, which is currently under peer review.
