Reducing benzodiazepine and z-drug prescriptions in secondary mental health care

Benzodiazepines and z-drugs are commonly prescribed medications in a variety of psychiatric settings. The majority of inpatient benzodiazepine prescriptions are for >4 weeks (95.6%) and off-label (94.4%), despite NICE guidance that patients on long-term benzodiazepines should have their medication reviewed regularly and be advised to stop due to this lack of long-term net benefit and concerns regarding side effects, tolerance and dependence. A separate study in Scotland found that 1/3 of psychiatric inpatients were prescribed a benzodiazepine or z-drug at discharge with 1/5 receiving continuous long-term treatment for 12 months post-discharge.

The aim of this quality improvement project was to reduce the number of benzodiazepine and z-drug prescriptions in psychiatric patients in East Sussex (in inpatient and community settings).