Objective

To determine whether a letter-based intervention to patients taking benzodiazepines reduces their consumption.

Method

A before-after study without control group performed in primary care in May 2016. 1582 patients who took a single daily dose of benzodiazepines as hypnotic for more than 3 months were sent a personalized letter from their family doctor. The letter contained information about the risks of long-term benzodiazepine consumption and the recommendation to discontinue them with a gradual drop protocol (Benzoletter). The percentage of patients who stopped or decreased the use of benzodiazepines, and the difference in the total dose dispensed (mg equivalents of diazepam dispensed in three months) between the pre- and post-intervention period (at 6 and 12 months) were evaluated.

Results

Dispensing data from 1561 patients were collected (average age: 69.3 years; 74% women). Twelve months after the intervention, 22.0% (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 19.9-24.0) discontinued benzodiazepine consumption and 18.8% (95%CI: 16.9-20.8) reduced their consumption. A statistically significant reduction was observed in the total dose dispensed (mean difference: 89mg; 95%CI: 72.2-105.7).

Conclusion

The Benzoletter is associated with a significant decrease in the consumption of hypnotics. It is a simple and feasible intervention that allows acting on large populations, and it could even be periodically repeated. Controlled studies are required to confirm its effectiveness.

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