Comparison of Benzodiazepines and Antidepressants Prescribing Pattern among New Psychiatric Outpatients before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Suanprung Psychiatric Hospital
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Abstract
Objective: To compare medication prescribing patterns of benzodiazepines and antidepressants among new psychiatric outpatients at Suanprung Psychiatric Hospital before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and to investigate factors that influenced medication prescribing patterns.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the electronic database and medical record form between March 2018 and February 2022. The population was new psychiatric outpatients receiving services at Suanprung Psychiatric Hospital. The logistic regression, independent T-test, and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis.
Results: The participants consisted of 15,596 people with 8,663 classified as "Pre-COVID-19" group and 6,933 as "Post-COVID-19" group. Prevalence of benzodiazepines and/or antidepressants prescribed were at a higher rate in the "Post-COVID-19 Pandemic" group than in the "Pre-COVID-19" group (OR, 1.15 [95% CI, 1.03-1.29]; P=0.010). When adjusting the covariates factors, it was found, the prevalence of benzodiazepines prescribing increased significantly (OR, 1.21 [95% CI, 1.12-1.30]; P<0.001), while the prevalence of benzodiazepines prescribing increased significantly of antidepressants prescribing increased non-significantly (OR, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.95-1.13]; P=0.397).
Conclusion: Prescriptions for benzodiazepines and/or antidepressants was increasing in prevalence in the "Post- COVID-19" compared to "Pre-COVID-19", particularly for benzodiazepines. This may be a result of the proportion of patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders increasing after the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, the dose per day decreased in the "Post-COVID-19". In the case of a pandemic, drug prescribing patterns will be useful in designing the drug management system in psychiatric hospitals to meet emergency services and pharmaceutical care needs.
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