Physician Office Visits at Which Benzodiazepines Were Prescribed: Findings From 2014-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Abstract

Objective-This report describes characteristics of visits to office-based physicians at which benzodiazepines were prescribed, including visits where opioids were coprescribed. Methods-Data from the 2014-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used. Population-based visit rates were examined by select patient characteristics. Visit characteristics are also presented. Results-During 2014-2016, the rate of visits at which benzodiazepines were prescribed was 27 annual visits per 100 adults. Among visits at which benzodiazepines were prescribed, approximately one-third involved an overlapping opioid prescription for a rate of 10 annual visits per 100 adults. Both visit rates were higher for women than men and increased with age. The percentage of visits with a new prescription for a benzodiazepine or a new prescription for both a benzodiazepine and an opioid was lower than the percentage of visits with continued prescriptions. A problem related to a chronic condition was the most common reason for visits at which benzodiazepines were prescribed, as well as for visits at which benzodiazepines were coprescribed with opioids. Mental disorders were the most frequent primary diagnosis category for visits at which benzodiazepines were prescribed, whereas diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue was the most frequent primary diagnosis category for visits at which benzodiazepines were coprescribed with opioids.