Benzodiazepine‐receptor agonist prescription in a population of hospitalised patients in four psychogeriatric units in Switzerland

Summary The aim of this study is to describe the patterns of prescription of benzodiazepine‐receptor agonists in hospitalised patients in four psychogeriatric units in Switzerland. This is a retrospective cross‐sectional study that included patients aged 65 years or more hospitalised in one of the four psychogeriatric units of a university hospital in Switzerland during 2019. The presence, type and dose of benzodiazepine‐receptor agonists was assessed at admission and at discharge. Three‐hundred and eighty‐six patients (214 women, 78.2 ± 8.1 years) were included in the study; 33.4% of patients had at least one benzodiazepine‐receptor agonist at admission and 22.5% at discharge. The relative reduction of benzodiazepine‐receptor agonists prescription in standardised dose was 78%. Age was found to be a protective factor against benzodiazepine‐receptor agonists prescription at admission (adjusted odds ratio 0.94, confidence interval 0.91–0.98), and diagnosis of substance abuse was found to be a risk factor (adjusted odds ratio 4.43, confidence interval 1.42–17.02). Longer hospital stays (> 14 days) were associated with higher reduction of benzodiazepine‐receptor agonists. The prevalence of a prescription of benzodiazepine‐receptor agonists at admission was high, but during the psychogeriatric hospitalisation benzodiazepine‐receptor agonists prescription decreased both in absolute and relative terms.