Barriers to Deprescribing Benzodiazepines in Older Adults in a Survey of European Physicians.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

The use of benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRA) poses serious health risks to older adults. Although several guidelines recommend deprescribing, implementation in clinical practice remains limited.

Objective

To identify physicians' barriers to and enablers of deprescribing BZRA in adults aged 65 years and older taking a BZRA for sleep problems; to determine factors associated with hospital physicians' intention to deprescribe BZRA and their self-reported routine BZRA deprescribing.

Design, setting, and participants

This survey study included hospital physicians and general practitioners (GPs) working across 6 European Countries (Belgium, Greece, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland) between December 2022 and March 2023.

Main outcomes and measures

SUBMITTER: Shapoval V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11877185 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature