The Australian Medical Association has warned crystal methamphetamine or ice is making the work of doctors more dangerous and called for additional security in hospitals.
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On Thursday, the AMA released a position paper on the influence of the drug and recommended the use of security personnel to restrain patients both physically and chemically if required.
AMA president Brian Owler said doctors across the country had noticed a significant increase in the number of people using ice and associated symptoms such as aggression and psychosis.
"Affected patients can be difficult to treat and are more likely to be aggressive, non-communicative and non-co-operative," he said.
"Methamphetamine-induced psychosis is particularly problematic, with many users requiring hospitalisation for their own safety or the safety of others."
The position paper said the influence of ice had been noticed in emergency departments and psychiatric units across the country and doctors needed to be protected.
"Aggressive amphetamine-intoxicated patients pose a significant problem for regional hospitals with fewer clinical staff and poor access to security personnel," the paper said.
"Treating staff are at high risk of injury from these patients who can require major use of security personnel and both physical and chemical restraints.
"All hospitals should have appropriate, rapidly responsive security arrangements and appropriate infrastructure."
The position paper said although the number presentations to emergency departments for methamphetamine-related problems was modest – 1 to 3 per cent nationally – their impact was "very significant" given patients with psychosis require a lot of resources.
The paper also found there were 26,269 national consumer arrests for amphetamine type substances in 2013-14, an increase of more than 18 percent on the previous year.
The number of police detainees testing positive for methamphetamine has also been steadily increasing in recent years, from 13 per cent in 2009 to 26 per cent in 2013.
Professor Owler praised the federal government for paying attention to the issue with the establishment of the National Ice Taskforce and the impending National Ice Action Strategy.
"It is important that doctors and other healthcare workers are well supported to engage with methamphetamine users, many of whom may be reluctant to disclose their use.
"GPs should be encouraged and supported to screen for illicit drug use. There must be appropriate treatment and rehabilitation services for doctors to refer their patients on to."
The ACT has the lowest number of rehabilitation providers in Australia, according to the Productivity Commission, with waiting lists at some centres extending to two or three months.
Matt Noffs, chief executive of youth rehabilitation service Ted Noffs Foundation, said the government needed to treat ice addiction as a health issue.
"The issue around Ice is actually a story of hope," he said. "But it is politicians who are using it to scare parents and that is completely unjustified.
"Our history in Australia shows that we did not reduce the heroin issue by incarcerating heroin users. We did it by treating them as human beings not worthless criminals."
