BACKGROUND: Z-hypnotics are commonly prescribed for insomnia, but their use in older adults is associated with an increased risk of adverse events. AIM: We examined the long-term effect of brief intervention (BI) for inappropriate z-hypnotic use, where the control group crossed over to receive the BI 6 months after baseline. DESIGN AND SETTING: A before-and-after intervention study was conducted in general practice. Older patients received the BI from trained general practitioners. METHOD: The BI group and the business-as-usual (BAU) group received the intervention with a six-month delay. The primary outcome: proportion of participants without inappropriate z-hypnotic use (≥4 weeks of use, ≥3 times per week). Secondary outcomes: the Global Sleep Assessment Questionnaire (GSAQ), pain visual analogue scale (VAS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Patients were assessed at baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months. RESULTS: We included 45 patients (31 female, mean age 69.4 years) and 21 GPs in the study. We found a significant reduction in inappropriate z-hypnotic use from baseline (68.9%) to post-treatment (27.78%), OR = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.65, CONCLUSION: The proportion of patients with inappropriate z-hypnotic use decreased after BI without negatively affecting sleep, mood, pain, or cognitive function.. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06032715).
Siddiqui et al. (Fri,) studied this question.