• Wim Gorgels, Richard Oude Voshaar, Audrey Mol, Eloy Van De Lisdonk, Jan Mulder, Henk Van Den Hoogen, Anton Van Balkom, Marinus Breteler, and Frans Zitman.
• Department of Primary Care, Centre of Evidence Based Medicine (EBP), Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, the Netherlands. W.Gorgels@hag.umcn.nl
• Scand J Prim Health Care. 2008 Jan 1; 26 (2): 747974-9.

ObjectiveThe efficacy of programmes to reduce long-term benzodiazepine use could be compromised by subsequent increases in contacts with the family practice. In this study the hypothesis was tested as to whether participation in a benzodiazepine discontinuation programme affects the frequency of contacts with the family practice.DesignA controlled stepped-care intervention programme to decrease long-term benzodiazepine use.SettingFamily practices in the Netherlands. Subjects. The experimental group consisted of 996 long-term benzodiazepine users and a control group of 883 long-term benzodiazepine users.Main Outcome MeasuresPractice contacts before and up to 12 months after the start of the programme.ResultsThere was a general tendency visible for contacts to decrease during the follow-up time. The course of the number of contacts during the follow-up was not different for the experimental and control groups (p=0.45). The level of non-benzodiazepine prescriptions was generally not altered. The number of non-benzodiazepine prescriptions decreased in benzodiazepine quitters during the follow-up of the programme.ConclusionNo clinically important differences in practice contacts were observed when the course of the number of contacts and non-benzodiazepine prescriptions were compared between the experimental and control groups. Family practitioners do not have to anticipate an increased workload associated with participation in such a benzodiazepine discontinuation programme.

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