Prescription of benzodiazepines in a rural clinic in Baixo Alentejo

Abstract

Objectives: To characterise the benzodiazepine (BZD) prescription pattern of a family doctor (FD) as well as his patients consumption profile. Type of Study: Descriptive, cross-sectional, exploratory. Site: Vale de Vargo rural practice (Serpa Health Centre). Sample: All patients from the FDs roster to whom at least one BZD in the study period was prescribed, independently of the source of prescription. Methods: Patients, prescription renewal dates, prescription sources, and number of tablets per package were all filed throughout one whole year. Tablet consumption was estimated between the dates of the first and the latest prescription. Results: Seventeen different BZDs were prescribed to 70 patients for a total of 83 treatments. The patients with the most prescriptions were older than 55 years. Women received more prescriptions than men. The most often prescribed BZDs had an intermediate half-life and corresponded to 54% of treatments. Merely 36% of patients received prescriptions for one package only. An average monthly consumption probably lower than 10 Defined Daily Doses (DDD) for each BZD corresponded to around 73% of treatments. Only 5 patients (6%) took more than 30 DDD/month. The FD was the main prescribing source, although he initiated less than half of all treatments and started significantly shorter treatment courses. Conclusions: In comparison with results from other studies, one may conclude that the proportion of patients in the community who received BZDs during the study year is acceptable. The BZD consumption pattern of treated patients is comparatively low.