Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41562974›Full record

ArticlePharmacy (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Epidemiological Assessment of Benzodiazepine Dependence via Pharmacist-Led EMR Review in Pain and Palliative Care Institution.

Carlos Eduardo Estrada-De La Rosa, Felipe Alexis Avalos-Salgado, Daniel Osmar Suárez-Rico, Martin Zermeño-Ruiz, César Ricardo Cortez-Álvarez, Raymundo Escutia-Gutiérrez

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Observational
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

6 authors.

Carlos Eduardo Estrada-De La RosaInstituto Jalisciense de Alivio al Dolor y Cuidados Paliativos, Secretaria de Salud Jalisco, Zapopan 45150, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0002-6842-5174
Felipe Alexis Avalos-SalgadoDepartamento de Farmacobiología, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías (CUCEI), Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44430, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0001-5328-4519
Daniel Osmar Suárez-RicoDepartamento de Farmacobiología, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías (CUCEI), Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44430, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0002-9237-213X
Martin Zermeño-RuizDepartamento de Farmacobiología, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías (CUCEI), Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44430, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0003-3631-0281
César Ricardo Cortez-ÁlvarezDepartamento de Farmacobiología, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías (CUCEI), Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44430, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0002-3763-7115
Raymundo Escutia-GutiérrezDepartamento de Farmacobiología, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías (CUCEI), Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44430, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0002-3072-0987

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesBenzodiazepines (BZDs) are used routinely in cases requiring sedation for anxiety, insomnia, and procedures that require pain management, and daily use of these agents may extend over several months; therefore, monitoring patients is essential to reduce the risk of developing dependence. However, the high patient volume in pain and palliative-care settings often limits physicians' ability to both conduct consultations and perform comprehensive evaluations. In this context, the pharmacist plays a key role in supporting patient care by contributing professional activities that enhance patient well-being, such as conducting systematic reviews of electronic medical records. This pharmacist-led EMR assessment enables the identification of benzodiazepine dependence patterns and supports a more robust epidemiological evaluation within the institution.

methodsA descriptive observational study (January 2022-May 2025) using electronic medical records and prescription data was conducted. Consecutive adults with an active BZD prescription and a documented BDEPQ-MX (Benzodiazepine Dependence Questionnaire, Mexican version) were included. Outcomes were BDEPQ-MX categories (No dependence; Pleasurable effects; Perceived need; Dependence) and a binary endpoint was stablished as "any dependence" (either scored in Perceived need or Dependence category) vs. No dependence (either scored as No dependence or Pleasurable effects categories). Group comparisons used χ

resultsOf 181 complete cases, BDEPQ-MX categories were No dependence 33.2% (60/181), Pleasurable effects 7.2% (13/181), Perceived need 17.1% (31/181), and Dependence 42.5% (77/181); hence, 59.7% met "any dependence." Women comprised 67.4% overall. Compared with No dependence, the any-dependence group had higher comorbidity (83.3% vs. 65.8%,

conclusionsIn this outpatient pain and palliative-care population, benzodiazepine-related dependence phenomena were common: 59.7% of patients met the criteria for dependence based on the pharmacist-led EMR review. The involvement of the pharmacist was essential, as this systematic evaluation would have been difficult to perform within routine medical consultations. The pharmacist's contribution enabled a detailed epidemiological characterization, revealing that the exposure duration-more than daily dose-was the principal, modifiable correlate of dependence, and that alprazolam was disproportionately represented in the higher-dependence categories. These findings underscore the value of pharmacist-supported surveillance to identify and measure BZD dependance.

Indexed as

BDEPQ-MXbenzodiazepineschronic paindrug dependencepalliative-carepharmacistrisk factors

Identifiers

PMID41562974
PMCPMC12821747

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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.