Abstract
Introduction: To describe the prescription patterns of benzodiazepines (BZD) and cyclopyrrolones (Z-drugs) in a population of medical and surgical patients prior to, during and after hospital admission. Material and methods: Data were collected from medical records, the physicians' order entry system and the national electronic pharmacy registry. Results: Overall, 38% of the 135 included patients did not receive BZD/Z-drugs at any time. A total of 30% were pre-admission users. While in hospital, 50% were users and 17% were users at discharge and 30% during the six months follow-up period (p< 0.0001). Changes in the usage pattern were mainly due to a significant increase in Z-drug use during hospital admission combined with a decrease in BZD and Z-drug use at discharge. During hospitalisation, 40% of the 94 pre-admission non-users of BZD/Z-drugs received BZD/Z-drugs. At the time of discharge, 61% of pre-admission users had become non-users, and 8.5% of the non-users had become users. Over the 6-month post-discharge period, 29 patients (21%) received ≥ 3 prescriptions for BZD/Z-drugs (chronic users) compared with 21 (16%) before admission. Conclusion: Medical and surgical hospitalized patients are frequently treated with Z-drugs and BZDs prior to, during and after hospital admission. The usage pattern changes significantly during hospital admission, with more prescriptions for z-drugs being issued.
| Translated title of the contribution | [Benzodiazepines and cyclopyrrolones prior to, during and after hospital admission] |
|---|---|
| Original language | Danish |
| Journal | Ugeskrift for Laeger |
| Volume | 172 |
| Issue number | 21 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1602-6 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| ISSN | 0041-5782 |
| Publication status | Published - 24 May 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |