Assessment of Benzodiazepine (BZD) Use Among Nursing Home Residents by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Nursing Questionnaires, and Examining Additional Mental Health Problems of BZD Users

Autor: Verena Schmidt, Friedrich M. Wurst, Monika Dreher-Weber, Laura M. Huppertz, Isabella Kunz, Anton Laireiter, Rainer Hoffmann, Volker Auwärter, Siegfried Lang, Anton Kühberger
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
ISSN: 1557-1882
1557-1874
DOI: 10.1007/s11469-021-00685-x
Popis: This study aimed at evaluating the extent of benzodiazepine (BZD) consumption among nursing home residents and examining additional mental health problems. Urine samples were collected in nursing homes in a border region between Austria and Germany and analyzed for BZD using a liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric method (LC–MS/MS). In addition, a questionnaire was applied to the residents including the ICD-10 symptom rating scale; nursing staff filled out a further questionnaire on residents’ consumption of addictive drugs. Of 301 urine samples collected in 33 nursing homes, 103 (34.2%) were BZD positive. BZD users showed significantly higher values for depression and anxiety. Nursing staff reported consumption of addictive drugs in 29 (37.2% of BZD positives) with almost entirely BZD use. In nearly 4% of BZD users, nursing staff indicated drug abuse/dependence. BZD use appears to be rather common in nursing homes and nurses apparently do not recognize the addictive potential of BZD sufficiently. Interventions should aim at a reduction of BZD prescriptions by sensitizing primary care physicians and nursing staff.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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