Table 1.
Impact on Psychological Determinants of BZD overprescribing (n = 121)
| strongly disagree (%) | disagree (%) | neutral opinion (%) | agree (%) | strongly agree (%) | Wilcoxon Z | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPs’ attitudes concerning treatment options | ||||||||
| 1. The advantages of sleep medication outweigh the disadvantages. | ||||||||
| Baseline (%) | 29.3 | 53.7 | 14.6 | 2.4 | 0 | |||
| Short term (%) | 52.8 | 36.6 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 | −2.618 | .009** | |
| Long term (%) | 55.3 | 34.2 | 6.1 | 1.8 | 2.6 | −3.331 | .001** | |
| 2. There are no non-drug alternatives for sleep problems that are as effective as drugs. | ||||||||
| Baseline (%) | 18.7 | 47.2 | 26.8 | 5.7 | 1.6 | |||
| Short term (%) | 38.2 | 47.2 | 10.6 | 3.3 | 0.8 | −4.333 | <.001* | |
| Long term (%) | 41.2 | 37.7 | 14.9 | 4.4 | 1.8 | −3.346 | .001** | |
| 3. I don’t have time to treat sleep problems using non-drug therapies | ||||||||
| Baseline (%) | 16.3 | 51.2 | 22.8 | 8.9 | 0.8 | |||
| Short term (%) | 14.6 | 21.5 | 25.2 | 8.9 | 0 | −0.161 | .872 | |
| Long term (%) | 14 | 53.5 | 23.7 | 7.9 | 0.9 | −0.235 | .814 | |
| 4. The non-medicational treatment of sleep problems is the business of other professionals | ||||||||
| Baseline (%) | 34.1 | 50.4 | 10.6 | 4.9 | 0 | |||
| Short term (%) | 32 | 48.4 | 13.9 | 5.7 | 0 | −1.197 | .231 | |
| Long term (%) | 31.9 | 50 | 10.3 | 5.2 | 2.6 | −0.997 | .319 | |
| 5. Non-drug treatment of sleep problems needs to be supported with medication. | ||||||||
| Baseline (%) | 26.8 | 53.7 | 17.1 | 0.8 | 1.6 | |||
| Short term (%) | 37.4 | 52 | 10.6 | 0 | 0 | −2.906 | .004** | |
| Long term (%) | 45.1 | 46.9 | 7.1 | 0.9 | 0 | −4.145 | <.001* | |
| GPs’ perception of the patient | ||||||||
| 6. If I do not prescribe medication to a patient with sleep problems, (s)he is dissatisfied. | ||||||||
| Baseline (%) | 0.8 | 17.9 | 27.6 | 50.4 | 3.3 | |||
| Short term (%) | 4.9 | 35.8 | 33.3 | 24.4 | 1.6 | −5.797 | <.001* | |
| Long term (%) | 6 | 34.5 | 30.2 | 27.6 | 1.7 | −4.782 | <.001* | |
| 7. It is difficult for a GP to motivate a patient with sleep problems to choose a non-medicational treatment. | ||||||||
| Baseline (%) | 0.8 | 17.9 | 12.2 | 51.2 | 17.9 | |||
| Short term (%) | 3.3 | 26 | 22 | 42.3 | 6.5 | −4.549 | <.001* | |
| Long term (%) | 1.7 | 22.4 | 15.5 | 50 | 10.3 | −1.908 | 0.056 | |
| GPs’ self-efficacy beliefs | ||||||||
| 8. When I am not prescribing medication for sleep problems I feel like I am not empathic | ||||||||
| Baseline (%) | 22 | 51.2 | 13.8 | 13 | 0 | |||
| Short term (%) | 33.3 | 50.4 | 10.6 | 5.7 | 0 | −3.154 | .002** | |
| Long term (%) | 39.7 | 41.4 | 14.7 | 4.3 | 0 | −3528 | <.001* | |
| 9. I have the expertise to use non-drug treatment for sleep problems. | ||||||||
| Baseline (%) | 22.8 | 33.3 | 23.6 | 18.7 | 1.6 | |||
| Short term (%) | 0 | 11.4 | 33.3 | 51.2 | 4.1 | −7.217 | <.001* | |
| Long term (%) | 0.9 | 7.9 | 32.5 | 54.4 | 4.4 | −7.133 | <.001* | |
| 10. I often feel overwhelmed when a patient presents with psychosocial problems | ||||||||
| Baseline (%) | 6.5 | 42.3 | 21.1 | 26.8 | 3.3 | |||
| Short term (%) | 10.6 | 44.7 | 23.6 | 20.3 | 0.8 | −2.246 | .025* | |
| Long term (%) | 20.7 | 44.8 | 22.4 | 8.6 | 3.4 | −4.611 | <.001* | |
Within the text, participants who “agree” and “strongly agree” are referred to as “agreeing”. In the same way, participants who reported to “strongly disagree” or “disagree” are generally referred to as “disagreeing”
*p < 0.05 **p < 0.01