Study, Jul/17:"Opinions Regarding Benzodiazepine Teaching and Prescribing..."

The full title of this American study is "Opinions Regarding Benzodiazepine Teaching and Prescribing Among Trainees in Psychiatry".

"CONCLUSION:  The survey indicated that psychiatry trainees generally feel adequately trained through didactic and clinical experience with benzodiazepines. Trainees perceived pressure by patients to prescribe benzodiazepines, but generally felt comfortable in managing benzodiazepine usage. Psychiatry attendings' opinions on benzodiazepines most impacted trainees. Influences on trainees' prescribing patterns are important variables that can impact future benzodiazepine prescribing."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28685349 

It sounds as if the teaching doctors want fewer new benzo scripts, but the young doctors are being pressured by patients to prescribe them. However, since these young doctors feel more comfortable managing benzos, for how long? Which leads me to believe that a lot more info has to come out about the harms that these pills cause and especially the length of time used. And the doctors also need to have a written list of symptoms, and read them with the patient, so the patient clearly sees the pitfalls, and benzos won't be readily prescribed.

I would love to be a fly on the wall and listen to the psychiatry attending lectures on benzos. I'm really curious as to what they say to the students, because whatever they say, the trainees will certainly follow, at least initially. 

"Trainees commonly reported pressure from patients to prescribe benzodiazepines but were split on perceived pressure from supervisors about prescribing and whether a bias exists against prescribing at their program or in general." This is interesting and points to the various prescribing practices among doctors in general. Once these trainees get into a particular practice, the other doctors that they work with could have totally different feelings about prescribing benzos, and the young doctors with this particular program would feel pressured to prescribe benzos more often.

A very interesting study, and it points to changing attitudes, which is great, but also to questions that trainees have upon leaving their training and whether or not they will continue to follow the guidelines given to them in school.

I hope that those doctors who feel "pressured by patients to prescribe benzodiazepines" take that opportunity to educate those desperate people not just about the medications, but about alternatives. If the problem is insomnia, there are a number of non-drug options. If the problem is anxiety, then maybe the doctor can help look at the source of it. If patients have already been taking benzos for awhile and that's why they're pressuring doctors for more, then those doctors need to help people with proper tapering.

Really, it's about time. But I know we agree on these things, Terry! It's time for change to happen.