Prescription patterns of anxiolytics in remote consultation versus in-person consultation: a cross-sectional study in French general practice
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2025

E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
Flora Descans1, Vincent Tarazona1, David De Bandt2,3
1General Practice Department, University of Versailles - Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Paris, France.
Background:
Teleconsultation is a new mode of medical consultation in France, which is poorly evaluated, and anxiolytics are among the drug classes at risk of over-medication.
Aim:
To analyse the prescription patterns of anxiolytics in remote consultation (RC) versus in-person consultation (IPC) in general practice.
Design & Setting:
This is a retrospective cross-sectional study in French general practice in 2021.
Method:
Consultations at volunteer general practice offices were analysed. The mode of consultation was extracted. For each consultation with an anxiolytic prescription, the prescribed daily dose (PDD), the age, sex, initiation or renewal of treatments, and the length time before the next consultation were recorded. χ2 was performed to compare the correlation between the mode of consultation and the drug prescription. Then, for consultation with anxiolytic prescription, multivariate models were conducted to analyse the PDD and the average time interval before the next consultation adjusted for consultation characteristics.
Results:
A total of 46 880 consultations were included from 11 GPs. The rate of consultations with anxiolytic prescriptions was identical in RC and IPC, but the PDD was higher by 6.17 in RC compared to IPC (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.21 to 12.12; P = 0.04). The average time interval before the next consultation was identical in RC and IPC.
Conclusion:
The rate of consultations with anxiolytic prescriptions is identical in RC and IPC, but the prescribed doses are higher in RC. Given the adverse effects of these treatments, GPs should reflect on their prescriptions to avoid over-medication.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Anxiolytic Drugs: Benzodiazepines and Buspirone
Anxiolytic Drugs: Overview
Primary Types of Anxiolytic Drugs
1. Benzodiazepines:
Benzodiazepines bind to the GABA-A receptor in the brain, enhancing GABA's interaction. This action reduces neurotransmission, effectively blocking anxiety-associated limbic...
Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
Drug Therapy
Antianxiety Medications
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...
Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Dependence of Elimination Half-Life and Dose Clearance
A study on guinea pigs examined the...

