Abstract

A STUDY ON THE PRESCRIBING PATTERN OF BENZODIAZEPINES IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Siraj Sundaran*, Kavya Suresh, Irshad T., Nimmy George, Dona Baiju, G. Babu, Arun Gopalakrishnan and S. Ram Manohar

Abstract

The study was carried out to assess the utilization pattern of benzodiazepines in a tertiary care hospital in Calicut. Retrospective observational study method was followed and conducted for a period of 6 months from November 2017 to April 2018. Drug therapy details in medication charts of the patients treated with benzodiazepines was analyzed to observe the prescribing pattern of benzodiazepines in the study site. A total of 200 prescriptions were analyzed during the study period. The most number of benzodiazepines were prescribed for females (58%). Majority to benzodiazepine containing prescriptions were found in case of the age group of 36-60 years (41.5%). The most common clinical condition treated with benzodiazepines was anxiety (45%) and sleep disorder 69 (31.36%). The majority of patients were prescribed with clonazepam 114 (51.81%), long acting benzodiazepine. Among the total prescriptions analyzed 90% of the patients were prescribed with one type of benzodiazepines for a single indication and 10% patients were prescribed with more than one type of benzodiazepines in a single prescription for different indications. For 16 patients benzodiazepine dual therapy was followed for the indications such as anxiety and seizures. The study found that the prescribing patterns of benzodiazepines for the various indications observed in the study were in accordance with the NICE guideline and Maudsley guideline. The study concluded that the benzodiazepines were rationally prescribed by the medical practitioners in the study site.

Keywords: Prescribing Pattern, Benzodiazepine, NICE Guideline, Maudsley Guideline.