Frequency of use of benzodiazepines in primary care: a systematic review

Abstract

Benzodiazepines are among the most used psychotropic drugs worldwide, which rates of misuse and indiscriminate use by the general population have been increasing and have become a focus of public health concern. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of benzodiazepine use among primary health care users. A systematic frequency review was carried out, with searches in Virtual Health Library, Medical Publisher, World Wide Science and Science Direct, based on the descriptors. The Grading Quality of Evidence and Strength of Recommendation were used to discriminate the reliability of the studies. Therefore, 19 studies were included. The majority (n=18) of the studies were cross-sectional, coming from developed countries. Data collection in electronic databases and analysis of medical records were the main sources. In addition, 63.15% of the studies were among elderly aged 65-75 years. In the national primary care, there was a prevalence of benzodiazepine use of 70% in the general population, ranging from 12.1 to 70.3% among the elderly alone. It is important to highlight that non-psychotic disorders, such as depression, anxiety and insomnia, are among the most prevalent mental or behavioral disorders. The analysis of the studies showed a high frequency of usability of benzodiazepines. For future studies, the importance of discussing medical iatrogenic drugs in the context of Primary Health Care is emphasized.