Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 November 2013
680. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive has requested general practitioners to limit the prescribing of benzodiazepines to medical card patients in particular; the reason behind such a request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49326/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraBenzodiazepines, as a group of medicines, are commonly used to treat anxiety, sleep disturbance and insomnia. They are known to be associated with dependence and withdrawal symptoms and consequently are primarily recommended for short-term treatment only. There is evidence of their inappropriate use in Ireland. The HSE through the Primary Care Reimbursement Service captures information on the prescribing of benzodiazepines under the GMS and Community Drug Schemes.
The HSE has developed and made available an on-line report which enables General Practitioners (GPs) to access their personal prescribing of benzodiazepines on a monthly basis and also benchmark their own prescribing against their peers. This is standardized for gender and age of the GP's panel. All contracted GPs have access to the website and the majority are active users. To further assist GPs, snapshots of the level of prescribing of benzodiazepines and z-drugs were taken in November 2011, March 2012 and November 2012. Three pieces of information were subsequently provided to GPs: the prescribing frequency of benzodiazepines and z-drugs standardised for gender/panel profile, the number of patients presenting prescriptions for periods of more than 3, 6 and 12 months; and a pictorial representation of their individual prescribing against the national profile.
The HSE does not have a complete picture of benzodiazepine prescribing for GPs who do not hold GMS contracts nor for non GMS patients whose prescription costs do not reach the DPS copayment threshold. Thus, the data disseminated to GPs is in respect of Medical Card patients only.
