Prevalence and Incidence of Oral Benzodiazepine Use in Hospitalized Surgical Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of intrahospital oral benzodiazepine use in the surgical population of a tertiary care centre.

BACKGROUND

Oral benzodiazepines used for treating sleep disturbances and anxiety are widely used in the general population. Information regarding benzodiazepine use during hospitalization is scarce.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using routinely collected health care data in a university hospital in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In this cohort, 10,896 patients representing 14,928 admissions were included, corresponding to all adult surgical patients admitted between September 2018 and September 2022. Median age was 62 (50-72) and 8761 out of 14928 (58.9%) were males. The main outcome measures were the prevalence and incidence of oral benzodiazepine usage during hospitalization.

RESULTS

Prevalence of benzodiazepine administrations in the surgical department was 21.6% out of 14,928 admissions. Median number of tablets given during hospital stay was 3 (1-7). Temazepam (33%), oxazepam (24%), and zopiclone (19%) were prescribed most. Female patients were more likely to have been administered a benzodiazepine, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.09 (95% CI: 1.002-1.19). Benzodiazepine administration during admission was positively associated with higher 30-day surgical readmission, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.37 (1.22-1.54).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, one-fifth of patients admitted to surgical departments were administered oral benzodiazepines for sleep disturbances and anxiety. Future research and policies should focus on finding and implementing effective non-pharmacological methods for perioperative sleep disturbances and anxiety.