Table 2.
Utilization by Benzodiazepine Prescription and Dose
| Benzodiazepine prescription (n = 9831) | No benzodiazepine prescription (n = 56,091) | Rate ratio (95 % confidence interval) | P value | High dose (n = 481) | Standard dose (n = 9340) | Rate ratio (95 % confidence interval) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary care visits* | ||||||||
| Primary care physician visit rate (per 100 patients) | 299 | 242 | 1.23 (1.22–1.25) | <0.001 | 324 | 297 | 1.12 (1.07–1.18) | <0.001 |
| Primary care clinic visit rate (per 100 patients) | 408 | 323 | 1.26 (1.25–1.28) | <0.001 | 440 | 406 | 1.12 (1.07–1.17) | <0.001 |
| Specialist outpatient visits | ||||||||
| Patients with specialist visits (%) | 9062 (92) | 49,404 (88) | <0.001 | 431 (90) | 8631 (92) | 0.025 | ||
| Visit rate (per 100 patients) | 815 | 578 | 1.41 (1.40–1.42) | <0.001 | 887 | 810 | 1.13 (1.09–1.16) | <0.001 |
| Emergency visits | ||||||||
| Patients with emergency visits (%) | 2275 (23) | 9433 (17) | <0.001 | 144 (30) | 2131 (23) | <0.001 | ||
| Visit rate (per 100 patients) | 47 | 29 | 1.62 (1.56–1.67) | <0.001 | 73 | 45 | 1.66 (1.49–1.85) | <0.001 |
| Hospitalizations | ||||||||
| Patients with hospitalizations (%) | 1202 (12) | 4631 (8) | <0.001 | 88 (18) | 1114 (12) | <0.001 | ||
| Hospitalization rate (per 100 patients) | 26 | 15 | 1.74 (1.67–1.82) | <0.001 | 44 | 25 | 1.81 (1.57–2.08) | <0.001 |
| Mean length of stay | 3.5 | 3.4 | <0.001 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 0.0052 | ||
*All patients included in the analysis made at least one primary care visit