Helen Jennens flips through two sets of documents sa国际传媒� one for each son who fatally overdosed.

Letters she sent in both cases to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia alleging the careless prescribing of potentially dangerous medications are neatly organized among responses from doctors.

Jennens says the deaths of her sons, Rian Leinweber in August 2011 and Tyler Leinweber in January 2016, could have been prevented if doctors had checked their drug histories on B.C.sa国际传媒檚 unique real-time database PharmaNet.

The provincewide network links pharmacies and hospitals to a central database that stores information on all dispensed prescriptions. The system is also available to physicians, but doctors say most do not use it.

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Jennens, who lives in Kelowna, has asked the college to make use of PharmaNet mandatory for all doctors so the files of high-risk or drug-seeking patients are flagged.

sa国际传媒淏oth boys, I have no idea how they lived as long as they did, with the medications they were prescribed, the combinations they were prescribed,sa国际传媒� Jennens says through tears.

Rian was 37 when he died, three years after a truck collided with his motorcycle, crushing his right leg from hip to toe, requiring multiple surgeries.

Jennens went to Riansa国际传媒檚 home with a pot of chili and found him propped up on his bed with his computer on his lap. Hesa国际传媒檇 stopped breathing from a combined overdose after being prescribed benzodiazepines, various drugs for insomnia and depression, and opioids for chronic pain while he awaited a second hip replacement.

Jennens says shesa国际传媒檇 warned doctors Rian could become hooked on opioids because hesa国际传媒檇 endured a decade of addiction that included cocaine and crystal meth.

sa国际传媒淗e was eight years drug free when he got into that accident. I said, sa国际传媒榃e know legitimately he needs stuff for pain because his leg was shattered but we also have to stay on top of it.sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒�

After Rian died, Jennens requested his PharmaNet records and questioned why he was prescribed such a wide range of medications including opioids.

sa国际传媒淲hy didnsa国际传媒檛 these people say enough? That was my whole issue with PharmaNet,sa国际传媒� Jennens says. sa国际传媒滻t lets you know somebodysa国际传媒檚 got a drug history. Hesa国际传媒檚 on this cocktail for three years and nobody is concerned about what may happen in terms of overdose?sa国际传媒�

A big part of Jennenssa国际传媒檚 complaint with the College of Physicians and Surgeons focuses on mandating the use of PharmaNet, which she says could be optimized to protect patients.

sa国际传媒淭hat didnsa国际传媒檛 happen, and five years later, my second son died,sa国际传媒� she says of Tyler, who had ruptured his left Achilles tendon in 2008 while playing football and was prescribed OxyContin.

He became addicted to heroin and unknowingly took what turned out be fentanyl in his ex-wifesa国际传媒檚 bathroom, where he was found dead on the floor. A coronersa国际传媒檚 report says he had overdosed on the powerful opioid.

sa国际传媒淗e used to lay in my lap at night and say, sa国际传媒楻emember when I played football? Why cansa国际传媒檛 I get that back?sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒� Jennens says. sa国际传媒淗is sister saw him twice in the last three years of his life because she wouldnsa国际传媒檛 subject her daughter to his behaviour, and it killed him. Itsa国际传媒檚 killing her now.sa国际传媒�

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Armed with 173 pages of PharmaNet records listing Tylersa国际传媒檚 medications, Jennens filed a second complaint and sa国际传媒減leadedsa国际传媒� with the college to make the use of PharmaNet compulsory for all doctors.

Jennenssa国际传媒� first complaint to the college resulted in one doctor being directed to take two continuing medical education courses on the responsible prescribing of opioids and strategies to manage chronic pain through less reliance on drugs.

Her complaint after Tyler died was forwarded by the college to 20 doctors who were cited for their prescribing habits. In their response letters, some doctors say they did not access PharmaNet, while others say Tylersa国际传媒檚 death prompted them to use it.

Dr. David Hawkins says in his letter that the medical system allowed Tylersa国际传媒檚 family to suffer sa国际传媒渁s a result of his death, and that was quite possibly avoidable. Certainly his medical encounters did not present him with treatment that could have offered him a way out of his situation.sa国际传媒�

Hawkins also offered an apology: sa国际传媒淚 am sorry for the part I played in Tylersa国际传媒檚 death and for not addressing his anxiety in an alternative manner at that time. I hope that the changes by both myself and the rest of the medical profession can help to tame this terrible crisis.sa国际传媒�

In an interview, Hawkins says using PharmaNet while treating addicted patients with chronic pain is time consuming, especially because itsa国际传媒檚 not linked with electronic medical records so doctors must use different systems to get information about any tests and consultations.

sa国际传媒淭o try to compare any one visit with another in the past is really challenging, and thatsa国际传媒檚 before you even see the patient so yousa国际传媒檙e exhausted by the time you even enter the room,sa国际传媒� says Hawkins, who works in Lake Country, B.C.

sa国际传媒淚t could be done electronically, if someone were to program these systems properly,sa国际传媒� he says. sa国际传媒漌e need certain things and wesa国际传媒檙e just not getting them. Isa国际传媒檓 not pretending that it would be easy but there doesnsa国际传媒檛 seem to be any effort to make our jobs easier on the front lines.sa国际传媒�

Patients suffering from anxiety and depression also require more mental health support so drugs are not the sa国际传媒渆asysa国际传媒� answer, he says.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 really sad, with so many young people dying, older people too. Fathers, mothers. Itsa国际传媒檚 horrendous whatsa国际传媒檚 going on,sa国际传媒� he says of the opioid epidemic that claimed 1,422 lives in British Columbia alone last year, mostly due to street drugs, not prescription medications.

In the end, the college required one of the doctors, not Hawkins, to take a continuing medical education course in Tylersa国际传媒檚 case.

sa国际传媒淚t is the collegesa国际传媒檚 expectation that each of these physicians will use this difficult case as an opportunity for further learning and professional growth for the benefit of future patients and their families,sa国际传媒� Dr. K. Shaw of the complaints and practice investigationssa国际传媒� inquiry committee wrote to Jennens in a letter dated Jan. 16.

The college told Jennens in a letter a year earlier that if it decided a doctor had sa国际传媒渕ade an isolated error in judgment,sa国际传媒� it would take remedial, not disciplinary, action.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 not out on a witch hunt for doctors,sa国际传媒� Jennens says, adding her years of lobbying is aimed at the college and the government to prevent the overprescribing of potentially addictive drugs.

sa国际传媒淒octors now thank me for bringing this to their attention,sa国际传媒� she says. sa国际传媒淭hey agree we need to do more about PharmaNet. Why didnsa国际传媒檛 they just think about this before Tyler died? Why didnsa国际传媒檛 someone search his PharmaNet records? Fifty pages of methadone and suboxone prescribed. They had to know it was drug-seeking behaviour.sa国际传媒�

In June 2016, as part of revised standards for prescribing drugs that could be misused, the college made the use of PharmaNet mandatory at walk-in and methadone clinics.

Dr. Heidi Oetter, the collegesa国际传媒檚 registrar and CEO, says the prescription monitoring system was sa国际传媒渂est in classsa国际传媒� compared with any other in Canada.

However, she called PharmaNet sa国际传媒渃lunkysa国际传媒� and says its ultimate success will require government officials to consult doctors sa国际传媒渢o really make it operational in their offices.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e committed to making access to PharmaNet mandatory once everybody can easily access the system,sa国际传媒� Oetter says.

Neither Health Minister Adrian Dix nor Mental Health and Addictions Minister Judy Darcy were available for interviews.

Dr. Trina Larsen Soles, president of Doctors of BC, the association that represents physicians, says PharmaNet should be enhanced to connect with medication records from hospitals, the BC Cancer Agency, the renal program and the HIV-AIDS program.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檝e got a cancer patient whosa国际传媒檚 on various chemotherapy cocktails and pain meds and I donsa国际传媒檛 know what chemo theysa国际传媒檙e on because itsa国际传媒檚 not on PharmaNet. I have to go to a different window to get that information,sa国际传媒� she says. sa国际传媒淵ousa国际传媒檙e doing all this on the screen instead of talking to the patient in front of you.sa国际传媒�

Dr. Tom Perry, an internal medicine and clinical pharmacology specialist at the University of British Columbia Hospital, was a New Democrat member of the legislature when PharmaNet was launched in 1995.

sa国际传媒淲hat an incredible resource,sa国际传媒� he says. sa国际传媒滶veryone should have done it in Canada long ago, and we all should be hooked up to it.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚f my records arensa国际传媒檛 perfect, PharmaNet rescues me or anybody else because PharmaNet not only tells you what I prescribed but it tells you whatsa国际传媒檚 more important, which is did the person fill (the prescription)?sa国际传媒�

Dr. Corinne Hohl, an emergency room doctor at Vancouver General Hospital, says installation fees and monthly charges also deter doctors from registering for PharmaNet.

sa国际传媒淭his is a big disincentive, I am told, is to pay, and physicians who are private entrepreneurs in private offices simply donsa国际传媒檛 want to have to pay the additional fee,sa国际传媒� she says.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 very beneficial, especially in the context of the current opioid crisis, where wesa国际传媒檙e trying to be very careful about prescribing opioids. We want to make sure that the patient is receiving opioids consistently from the same provider as opposed to eight different providers from eight different hospitals if theysa国际传媒檙e doctor shopping.sa国际传媒�

Camille Bains, The Canadian Press