Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31750587›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of clinical practice2020

Peer-pressure and overuse: The effect of a multimodal approach on variation in benzodiazepine prescriptions in a network of public hospitals.

Rosaria Del Giorno, Andrea Ottini, Angela Greco, Kevyn Stefanelli, Florenc Kola, Luca Clivio, Alessandro Ceschi, Luca Gabutti

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of clinical practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Observational
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Rosaria Del GiornoDepartment of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Regional Hospital of Bellinzona and Valli, Bellinzona, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5206-8865
Andrea OttiniDepartment of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Regional Hospital of Bellinzona and Valli, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Angela GrecoQuality and Patient Safety Service, La Carità Hospital, Locarno, Switzerland.
Kevyn StefanelliDepartment of Social Sciences and Economics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Florenc KolaDepartment of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Regional Hospital of Bellinzona and Valli, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Luca ClivioDepartment of Informatics, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Alessandro CeschiDivision of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacological Sciences of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland.
Luca GabuttiDepartment of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Regional Hospital of Bellinzona and Valli, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Ospedale Regionale di Bellinzona e Valli · CHUniversity of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland · CHEnte Ospedaliero Cantonale · CHOspedale Regionale di Locarno · CHSapienza University of Rome · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe epidemic phenomenon leading to a progressive increase in benzodiazepine prescriptions represents a challenge for healthcare systems. In the hospital setting, indicators of prescription variation and potential of overuse are lacking and are rarely monitored. Inter-hospital monitoring/benchmarking, via peer-pressure, can foster the motivation to change. The aim of this investigation was to analyse whether, the reduction in new benzodiazepine prescriptions obtained thanks to a Choosing Wisely campaign, also contributed to reducing inter-hospital variation.

methodsSecondary analysis of a multicentre longitudinal intervention in a network of five teaching hospitals in Switzerland. We set out to explore the effect, on inter-hospital benzodiazepine prescription variation, of a continuous monitoring/benchmarking strategy, which was proven effective in reducing the intra-hospital prescription rate. The variance was used to assess inter-hospital variation. To investigate the impact of the intervention a segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series was performed.

resultsA total of 36 299 admissions over 42 months were analysed (1 July 2014 to 31 December 2017). Before the intervention a significant constant upward trend in inter-hospital variability was found (+0.901; SE 0.441; P < .05). After the intervention, the variance trend line significantly changed, decreasing by -0.257 (SE 0.005: P < .001) and producing by December 2017, a 27% absolute reduction.

conclusionsThanks to a multimodal approach based on monitoring-benchmarking, a significant reduction in inter-hospital benzodiazepine prescription variation was obtained. Aligning to peer strategy is a spontaneous consequence of open benchmarking that can be used to convert a variation-based suspicion of overuse, into an occasion to actively review prescription habits.

Indexed as

BenchmarkingBenzodiazepinesDrug PrescriptionsHospitals, PublicHumansHypnotics and SedativesInappropriate PrescribingInterprofessional RelationsInterrupted Time Series AnalysisLongitudinal StudiesSwitzerlandBenzodiazepinesHypnotics and Sedativesbenchmarkingbenzodiazepinechoosing wiselyintervention studymonitoringoverusepeer-pressurevariation

Identifiers

PMID31750587
PMCPMC7065013
OpenAlexW2990963306

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.