USE OF BENZODIAZEPINES IN PRIVATE NURSING-HOMES - A DRUG INDEX AS AN INDICATOR OF QUALITY IN NURSING-HOME CARE

Benzodiazepines have attracted criticism as drugs on which patients can become dependent. This paper examines how widely these drugs were prescribed by GPs to patients in 15 Oxfordshire nursing homes during 1987. About one in three patients was found to have such a prescription. The potential relationship between benzodiazepine prescribing and rate of incidents in the homes did not prove clear-cut, although pointing toward a slight negative correlation. Duration of action of the type of benzodiazepine had relevance. An index of benzodiazepine prescriptions per resident was derivable (the 'benzodiazepine index'). This provided an indicator of quality of care which could be used to compare practice between different nursing homes.