A cross-sectional audit of benzodiazepine use among general practice patients

In order to assess how many general practice patients take benzodiazepines for long periods, a cross-sectional audit of clinical practice was conducted. During a 3-day census period, 26 general practitioners in the area of Bergamo, Italy, entered into the study every patient who was taking benzodiazepines. The prevalence of use of this class of drugs was 14.0% (CI 12.5-15.7), while the prevalence of daily use for 12 months or more was 4.7% (CI 3.8-5.8). Finally, the prevalence of very long-term use of benzodiazepines, i.e. those taking these drugs for more than 10 years, was 0.65% (CI 0.34-1.14). Compared to non-long-term users, long-term users were older (OR 2.38, CI 1.39-4.08) and had a lower level of education (OR 2.40, CI 1.04-5.54). In addition, insomnia was associated with long-term use of this class of drugs (OR 1.82, CI 1.02-3.24). These findings provide evidence that the long-term use of benzodiazepines is an important issue in everyday general practice and that this calls for precise management tactics.