SynthesisThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2011
Minimal interventions to decrease long-term use of benzodiazepines in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 39 papers, 2 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
39 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 122 citations in OpenAlex.
- Brief interventions targeting long-term benzodiazepine and Z-drug use in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2020Pooled it
- Psychosocial interventions for benzodiazepine harmful use, abuse or dependence.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention on the Chronic use of Hypnotics in Treatment-Seeking Women with Insomnia: a Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2022Trial
- NSAID Use after Bariatric Surgery: a Randomized Controlled Intervention Study.Obesity surgery · 2016Trial
- Stopping antidepressants: when and how.Australian prescriber · 2026Review
- Supporting General Practitioners to Deprescribe Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs in Primary Care: Findings From a Modified Delphi Study.Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology · 2026Article
- De-implementing inappropriate benzodiazepine prescribing in primary care: an overview of systematic reviews informed by behavioral frameworks.Implementation science communications · 2026Review
- Risk perception, attitudes, and quality of life in a multicomponent benzodiazepine deprescription strategy.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2025Article
- Discontinuation of psychotropic medication: a synthesis of evidence across medication classes.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Review
- Effect of a short video on patients' motivation for dose reduction or cessation of hypnotics.Sleep and biological rhythms · 2023Article
- Fatalities associated with gabapentinoids in England (2004-2020).British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2022Article
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Discontinuation of Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use in Insomnia and Anxiety Disorders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Role of the prescriber in supporting patients to discontinue benzodiazepines: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021Article
- Article
- Trends in the consumption rates of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-related drugs in the health region of Lleida from 2002 to 2015.BMC public health · 2020Article
- Benzodiazepine Prescribing in People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Clinical Considerations.Drugs & aging · 2020Review
- Article
- Benzodiazepine usage and patient preference for alternative therapies: A descriptive study.Health science reports · 2019Article
- Article
- Prescribing benzodiazepines in general practice.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLong-term use of benzodiazepines (BZDs) is common. Not only is such use ineffective, but it also has several risks in addition to dependence, and remains a significant problem among the older population.
aimTo systematically review randomised controlled trials that evaluate the effectiveness of minimal interventions to reduce the long-term use of BZDs in primary care. DESIGN AND
settingSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials in UK general practices.
methodCochrane Central, MEDLINE, and Embase (1967-2010) were searched for trials of minimal interventions (such as a single letter or one consultation from a GP) for patients in primary care with long-term (>3 months) BZD use. Pooled risk differences were calculated with 95% confidence intervals.
resultsFrom 646 potentially relevant abstracts, three studies (615 patients) met all the inclusion criteria. The pooled risk ratio showed a significant reduction/cessation in BZD consumption in the minimal intervention groups compared to usual care (risk ratio [RR] = 2.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5 to 2.8, [corrected] P<0.001; RR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.3 to 4.3, P = 0.008) respectively. Two studies also reported a significant proportional reduction in consumption of BZD from baseline to 6 months in intervention groups compared to the control group. The secondary outcome of general health status was measured in two studies; both showed a significant improvement in the intervention group.
conclusionA brief intervention in the form of either a letter or a single consultation by GPs, for long-term users of BZD, is an effective and efficient strategy to decrease or stop their medication, without causing adverse consequences.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.