Prevalence and Incidence of Oral Benzodiazepine Utilization among Hospitalized Surgical Patients：A large-scale retrospective study from China

Background: Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are commonly used to treat sleep disorders and anxiety. The prevalence of BZDs has been reported among surgical inpatients in high-throughput tertiary medical centers in the West. However, in countries with strict classification and control of psychotropic drugs (such as China), there is still a lack of data. Objective: To investigate the usage rate of BZDs during hospitalization in surgical patients at a high-throughput tertiary-A hospital in China. Methods: This study was performed in a high-throughput tertiary medical center in China. The data of all adult postoperative patients between January 2021 and December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The main outcome measure was the usage rate of oral BZDs during hospitalization. To clarify the factors independently associated with oral BZD administration in postoperative hospitalized patients. Results: A total of 41908 admission records from 29111 patients were collected in this study. After surgery, the use rate of BZDs among inpatients was only 0.77% (324/41908), and the median dose was 1.00 tablets (1.00–1.00). The most common drugs used in BZDs were diazepam tablets (29.6%) and alprazolam tablets (25.7%), and the most commonly used departments were hepatobiliary surgery (185 (57.1%) and urology (11.9%). Age > 60 years, psychiatric consultation, initial treatment with benzodiazepine, prolonged hospitalization, and hepatobiliary surgery visits were independently associated with the use of oral BZDs during hospitalization among postoperative patients. Conclusions: In a high-throughput medical center in China, only approximately 1% of postoperative inpatients were given oral BZDs due to sleep disorders and anxiety.