SynthesisBMC health services research2010
Improving the use of benzodiazepines--is it possible? A non-systematic review of interventions tried in the last 20 years.
Synthesis in BMC health services research, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Psychosocial interventions for benzodiazepine harmful use, abuse or dependence.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Association between use of benzodiazepines and risk of fractures: a meta-analysis.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2014Pooled it
- Non-Guideline-Compliant Prescriptions of Benzodiazepines and Z Drugs: Effects of Social Norm Feedback. A Randomized Controlled Trial.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2026Trial
- The OptimaMed intervention to reduce medication burden in nursing home residents with severe dementia: results from a pragmatic, controlled study.BMC geriatrics · 2023Trial
- Reducing prescribing of benzodiazepines in older adults: a comparison of four physician-focused interventions by a medical regulatory authority.BMC family practice · 2021Trial
- Effectiveness of a Multifaceted Intervention for Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing in Older Patients in Primary Care: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial (OPTI-SCRIPT Study).Annals of family medicine · 2015Trial
- De-implementing inappropriate benzodiazepine prescribing in primary care: an overview of systematic reviews informed by behavioral frameworks.Implementation science communications · 2026Review
- Edible Herbal Medicines as an Alternative to Common Medication for Sleep Disorders: A Review Article.Current neuropharmacology · 2024Review
- Effects of an academic detailing service on benzodiazepine prescribing patterns in primary care.PloS one · 2023Article
- Supporting safe and gradual reduction of long-term benzodiazepine receptor agonist use: Development of the SAFEGUARDING-BZRAs toolkit using a codesign approach.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2022Article
- Article
- A tailored e-learning gives long-term changes in determinants of GPs' benzodiazepines prescribing: a pretest-posttest study with self-report assessments.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2019Article
- Changing prescribing behaviours with educational outreach: an overview of evidence and practice.BMC medical education · 2019Review
- Policies for Deprescribing: An International Scan of Intended and Unintended Outcomes of Limiting Sedative-Hypnotic Use in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.Healthcare policy = Politiques de sante · 2019Article
- Article
- Benzodiazepine and Z-drug prescribing in Ireland: analysis of national prescribing trends from 2005 to 2015.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2018Article
- Teaching young GPs to cope with psychosocial consultations without prescribing: a durable impact of an e-module on determinants of benzodiazepines prescribing.BMC medical education · 2017Article
- Continuing Versus New Prescriptions for Sedative-Hypnotic Medications: United States, 2005-2012.American journal of public health · 2016Article
- Withdrawing Benzodiazepines in Patients With Anxiety Disorders.Current psychiatry reports · 2016Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBenzodiazepines are often used on a long term basis in the elderly to treat various psychological disorders including sleep disorders, some neurological disorders and anxiety. This is despite the risk of dependence, cognitive impairment, and falls and fractures. Guidelines, campaigns and prescribing restrictions have been used to raise awareness of potentially inappropriate use, however long term use of benzodiazepine and related compounds is currently increasing in Australia and worldwide. The objective of this paper is to explore interventions aimed at improving the prescribing and use of benzodiazepines in the last 20 years.
methodsMedline, EMBASE, PsychINFO, IPA were searched for the period 1987 to June 2007.
resultsThirty-two articles met the study eligibility criteria (interventions solely focusing on increasing appropriate prescribing and reducing long term use of benzodiazepines) and were appraised. Insufficient data were presented in these studies for systematic data aggregation and synthesis, hence critical appraisal was used to tabulate the studies and draw empirical conclusions. Three major intervention approaches were identified; education, audit and feedback, and alerts.
conclusionsStudies which used a multi-faceted approach had the largest and most sustained reductions in benzodiazepines use. It appears that support groups for patients, non-voluntary recruitment of GPs, and oral delivery of alerts or feedback may all improve the outcomes of interventions. The choice of outcome measures, delivery style of educational messages, and requests by GPs to stop benzodiazepines, either in a letter or face to face, showed no differences on the success rates of the intervention.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.