Introduction: Benzodiazepines (BZD) are efficient drugs used to reduce anxiety, treat insomnia, or used as myorelaxants. BZDs are generally recommended for short-term use due to numerous side-effects and addiction. Objective: To investigate the prescribing pattern in family medicine outpatient clinics, in patients without the diagnosis of a mental disorder, and the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on BZD use. Method: A retrospective study of BZDs use, in a tenyear period (2009-2019), was conducted in patients treated in five family medicine teams of three primary health care centers in the Republic of Srpska. The study was carried out by reviewing electronic health records (EHRs) of patients above 18 years of age. The patients with the diagnosis of mental disorders were not recruited in the study. The study included 8560 EHRs, and 259 patients with the diagnosis of the mental disorders were excluded from the study. Results: Out of a total of 8301 analyzed EHRs, in 1044 (12.58%) patients at least one prescription for BZDs was found in a ten-year period. Females used BZDs in a greater percentage (71.07%), persons older than 65 years (44.54%), patients with secondary school education (60.44%), patients with chronic diseases (88.60%), patients living in an urban environment (75.96%). The most prescribed BZD was bromazepam (80.17%). Conclusion: The use of BZDs in our patients is quite considerable when compared to recommendations. The strategies to reduce BZD prescribing are necessary to reduce the chronic use of these drugs.

Introduction: We define polypharmacy as a simultaneous usage of five or more drugs, an over usage of medically indicated drugs, or a therapy regime in which at least one type of drug is unnecessary. Since the elderly often suffer from multiple chronic diseases, they generally use multiple drugs.Objective: The aim was to estimate the prevalence of elderly (>65) patients who continuously used five or more drugs, to single out the most frequently used drugs in reference with sex and age, and to identify potentially inadequate drugs.Method: The research was actually a cross section study covering 432 consecutive patients older than 65, who were registered with two family clinic teams at the Banja Luka Health Centre. We examined all electronic medical charts of our target patients and entered data on their age, sex, chronic diagnoses, and continuous therapies into questionnaires designed for the purpose of our study for October-December 2015 period.Results: There were 170 (39.35%) male and 262 (60.65%) female patients. The average age was 73.88 ± 6.5. Furthermore, 189 (43.75%) patients used five or more drugs as follows: 61 (14.1%) patients with five drugs, 44 (10.2%) with six drugs, 49 (11.3%) with seven drugs, 17 (3.9%) with eight drugs, 11 (2.5%) with nine drugs, and 7 (1.6%) patients with ten drugs. We found no statistically relevant difference for patients with polypharmacy between the number of drugs in reference with either sex (p=0.119) or age (p=0.555). Mostly used potentially inadequate drugs were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and benzodiazepines.Conclusion: Polypharmacy was detected with almost half the target patients. A clinical assessment of a family doctor along with an individual treatment plan based upon medical, functional, and social conditions should be the foundation of the rational drug prescription at family clinic departments.

Introduction: Changes in lifestyle can significantly affect the management of good glycemic control and target values of blood pressure and lipids.Objective: To determine the achievement of target values of glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1 c), blood pressure and lipids, in participants with type 2 diabetes, who used a proper diet and controlled physical activity.Method: The study was a prospective study, conducted on participants with type 2 diabetes, from 01 October 2012 until 31 October 2013, at the Primary Health Center Banja Luka, by 60 family medicine teams. At the beginning of the study, all participants had individual counseling on lifestyle changes, eating habits, and regulation of body weight.Results: The study included 591 participants with the type 2 diabetes. At the beginning of the study, 49.92% of participants adhered to the proper diet, and at the end 76.65% of them (p<0.001). Targeted value of HbA 1 c ≤ 6.5% was registered in 61.70% participants at the beginning of the study and at the end of the study in 86.62% participants (p <0.001); the target value of blood pressure (≤130/80 mmHg) was registered in 56.21% at the beginning, and at the end in 79.91% (p<0.002). Targeted value of total cholesterol was registered in 59.61% at the beginning of the study, and at the end of the study in 81.91% subjects (p <0.003).Conclusion: In patients with type 2 diabetes individual counseling about lifestyle changes helps to attain optimal values of HbA 1 c, blood pressure, and serum lipid levels.

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