New WHO policy guidelines now available!

The Pain & Policy Studies Group is pleased to share the news that the Access to Opioid Medications in Europe (ATOME) project has recently released an updated WHO Policy Guidelines document.  Titled “Ensuring Balance in National Policies on Controlled Substances, Guidance for Availability and Accessibility of Controlled Medicines,” the guidelines are expanded to encompass all controlled medicines, with a focus on essential medicines.  An update of the WHO 2000 Guidelines “Achieving Balance in National Opioids Control Policy,” they also expand beyond pain treatment to include treatment of opioid dependence, emergency obstetrics, psychiatry, and neurology.   Endorsed by the International Narcotics Control Board, the guidelines include a Country Assessment Checklist whose purpose is to enable governments to systematically identify and address policy barriers so as to make controlled medicines more readily available and accessible.

This document can be found at: http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/quality_safety/guide_nocp_sanend/en/index.html