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Updated: Nov 30, 2025

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
The cascade of benzodiazepine prescribing for hospitalized geriatric patients
Neshahthari Wijeyakuhan1,2,3,4, Rachel Gruber1,4, Nicholas A Rattray1,3,4,5
1Advanced Scholars Program for Internists in Research and Education (ASPIRE), Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Background:
Hospitalists increasingly provide care for geriatric patients and little is known about the extent to which hospitalists adhere to evidence-based medication guidelines. This study aimed to characterize hospitalist adherence to BEERS guidelines for prescribing and monitoring benzodiazepines for older adults.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective chart review of admitted patients aged 70-85 years who had been prescribed benzodiazepine. Charts from 351 patients were analyzed for documentation and decision rationale, which included 638 separate notes.
Results:
Benzodiazepines were prescribed 28.2% of the time to address anxiety, which is inconsistent with the BEERS criteria; 39% had adequate data in the impression and plan section of the note to reflect why benzodiazepine was prescribed. Of note, the majority of notes had partial or missing data.
Conclusion:
Physicians tended to follow guidelines more than advance practice providers. Wide variation persists in prescribing practices and documentation related to benzodiazepines and both could potentially be addressed with further training.
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