Prescribing Policy – Public Information | Version 2.0 11/12/25
The purpose of this policy is to provide Emergency Consult telehealth patients/clients with guidelines and criteria for mediation prescribing by Emergency Consult (EC) clinicians.
1) This policy pertains to information provided to Emergency Consult telehealth patients/clients regarding medication prescribing by Emergency Consult (EC) clinicians during their EC telehealth work. It is based on MCNZ’s policies on good prescribing practice and telehealth.
2) Legal requirements: All prescriptions provided will comply with the legal standards and requirements that apply in Aotearoa New Zealand. There may be some circumstances when we are unable to provide a prescription for a medication in a virtual consultation due to New Zealand laws and regulations.
3) Along with legal requirements, MCNZ’s standards on good prescribing practice apply when we issue a prescription (or a repeat prescription) via telehealth. When providing prescriptions, including repeat prescriptions, EC clinicians must have adequate knowledge of the patient's condition, are satisfied that the medication or treatment is in the patient’s best interests, and there are appropriate arrangements for follow up. Sometimes patients will require in person assessment (such as blood pressure measurement) or tests (blood tests, ECG) prior to taking a prescribed medication.
4) Controlled drugs: Generally Emergency Consult clinicians will not prescribe controlled drugs or medications that require special authority (e.g. Section 29 drugs). This includes, but is not limited to:
• Opioid analgesia including Oxycodone, Morphine
• Sedatives and sleeping tablets such as Zopiclone, benzodiazepines
• Psychotropics including Quetiapine
• Medical marijuana
• Special authority (Section 29) medications such as Isotretinoin unless patients are currently on them with current S29 approval
On very rare occasions when it is felt appropriate/safe to prescribe controlled drugs the patient will be asked to show photographic identification (driver license or passport) prior to the prescription being issued.
5) Good prescribing practice requires clinicians to give careful consideration before prescribing any medication with a risk of addiction or misuse or any psychotropic medication and ensure that there are robust systems in place to manage the care of these patients. Telehealth can make it even more difficult to identify whether a patient is seeking medicines for non-therapeutic use. If this is the first time a patient is being prescribed a class A or class B
controlled drug, you must ensure they have been appropriately assessed, any risks to the patient and others have been considered, and there are adequate arrangements for follow up. Where Emergency Consult Drs may be unable to prescribe controlled drugs including
opioids, hypnotics and sedatives, medicines requiring special authority (eg section 29) or medicines that require close monitoring, the patient will be asked you to see their usual enrolled GP clinic, as they have an ongoing relationship with them and can monitor their ongoing health needs.
6) Repeat prescriptions: Patients requiring repeat prescriptions should be assessed in person on a regular basis, at a frequency appropriate for their medical condition and medicines. Patients will be informed that depending on their condition and medication, they may need to see their enrolled GP clinic before receiving a new or repeat prescription. This will be at the clinical discretion of the Emergency Consult doctor. For an ongoing stable long-term condition where it is deemed safe and appropriate to do so, Emergency Consult may prescribe bridging scripts for repeat prescriptions. Bridging script durations are at the discretion of the Emergency Consult Dr and may be limited to 30 days for regular medications, 90 days for contraceptive medicines. The Emergency Consult Dr may ask the patient to seek review with their enrolled GP clinic at routine intervals for medication reviews.
7) Emergency Consult is not a pharmacy; it does not directly dispense medicines. In a telehealth consultation the Emergency Consult Dr will send the prescription to the patient’s preferred pharmacy.
8) Instructions to patients: Any emails or prescriptions are intended to be only read by the named recipient as they contain information which is confidential. Any product, medicine or medication that an Emergency Consult Dr prescribes is to be solely used for the prescribee’s own personal use and will not be given to any other person to take. It is assumed that medication prescribed will only be taken in conjunction with other medication that the patient has disclosed to an Emergency Consult Dr prior to the issuing of the prescription. Before taking any medication prescribed, patients should read all information provided by the Emergency Consult Dr, the dispensing Pharmacist or by the manufacturer of the product and will follow that advice. If there is any conflict between the advice provided by an Emergency Consult Dr and the manufacturer of the product or the pharmacist, patients must contact the Emergency Consult Dr before taking the medication.
9) If while taking medication patients suffer any noticeable side effects that are causing concern, we recommend they seek advice from a health professional. That could mean re-booking an appointment with an Emergency Consult Dr or the patient’s usual GP or pharmacist, to allow them to monitor the effect of the medications prescribed. For urgent care or severe side-effects such as anaphylaxis, in New Zealand dial 111 and ask for an ambulance.