158428 - Opioid Treatment Accreditation Course (OTAC) - [Online]

The Opioid Treatment Accreditation Course (OTAC) aims to provide medical practitioners with vital knowledge to identify, treat and manage patients who are opioid dependent. 

The treatment of opioid dependence is a challenging and stimulating endeavour for medical practitioners. There are clear benefits for opioid dependent individuals, and communities that result from opioid treatment programs. These include reduction in risk of death, reduction in drug use, reduced risk of contracting some blood borne viruses such as HIV, improved health, and reduced crime. 

The course also forms a major component of medical practitioners receiving accreditation to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies for the treatment of opioid dependence, which is recognised by the NSW Ministry of Health. 

NOTE: To be eligible to complete this course, participants must first complete the online Fundamentals Training in Opioid Treatment short course (See our website for more details).

Opioid dependence has become a major focus within Australia. Over the past two decades there has been an increase in use of pharmaceutical (prescription and over-the-counter) opioids for medical conditions, particularly chronic pain. As a consequence, an increasing number of patients have developed pharmaceutical opioid dependence. As opioid dependence is a chronic condition, GPs are ideally positioned to deliver interventions, as well as provide continuity of care and coordinate services across multiple health providers.