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Prescribing pattern of benzodiazepines in outpatients without a diagnosis of mental disorders: Retrospective study
- Source :
- Opšta Medicina, Vol 27, Iss 1-2, Pp 1-10 (2021)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Centre for Evaluation in Education and Science (CEON/CEES), 2021.
-
Abstract
- Introduction: Benzodiazepines (BZD) are efficient drugs used to reduce anxiety, treat insomnia, or used as myorelaxants. BZDs are generally recommended for short-term use due to numerous side-effects and addiction. Objective: To investigate the prescribing pattern in family medicine outpatient clinics, in patients without the diagnosis of a mental disorder, and the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on BZD use. Method: A retrospective study of BZDs use, in a tenyear period (2009-2019), was conducted in patients treated in five family medicine teams of three primary health care centers in the Republic of Srpska. The study was carried out by reviewing electronic health records (EHRs) of patients above 18 years of age. The patients with the diagnosis of mental disorders were not recruited in the study. The study included 8560 EHRs, and 259 patients with the diagnosis of the mental disorders were excluded from the study. Results: Out of a total of 8301 analyzed EHRs, in 1044 (12.58%) patients at least one prescription for BZDs was found in a ten-year period. Females used BZDs in a greater percentage (71.07%), persons older than 65 years (44.54%), patients with secondary school education (60.44%), patients with chronic diseases (88.60%), patients living in an urban environment (75.96%). The most prescribed BZD was bromazepam (80.17%). Conclusion: The use of BZDs in our patients is quite considerable when compared to recommendations. The strategies to reduce BZD prescribing are necessary to reduce the chronic use of these drugs.
- Subjects :
- long-term use
Medicine (General)
Pediatrics
medicine.medical_specialty
media_common.quotation_subject
03 medical and health sciences
R5-920
0302 clinical medicine
Insomnia
medicine
Outpatient clinic
In patient
family physician
030212 general & internal medicine
Medical prescription
media_common
Bromazepam
030505 public health
business.industry
Addiction
Retrospective cohort study
prescriptions
Anxiety
medicine.symptom
anti-anxiety agents
0305 other medical science
business
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 22173994 and 03547132
- Volume :
- 27
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Opsta medicina
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....1e3ce88c6263b92d163cab45bbae55de
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.5937/opmed2102001s