Benzodiazepines Deprescribing in Nursing Homes: Intervention Feasibility

Feasibility of a Theory-based Benzodiazepines Deprescribing Intervention in Belgian Nursing Homes: the END-IT Study

The goal of this feasibility study is to evaluate the feasibility of a complex intervention towards benzodiazepines and Z-drugs deprescribing in older adults living in the Belgian nursing home setting.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Is the intervention we developped feasible
• To what extent will the intervention be implemented in nursing homes
• To what extent is the design of the recruitment and data collection process feasible and acceptable for all participants

Participants will benefit from a complex intervention implemented at the level of the nursing home, encompassing process and goals setting, healthcare providers education, environmental adaptations, audit and feedback on benzodiazepines use, use of educational leaflet with residents and relatives, and multidisciplinary work.

Researchers will compare this intervention to usual care, to see if the intervention is feasible, and to gather first data on intervention effectiveness in benzodiazepines deprescriping.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 65 years old and older
• Taking at least one benzodiazepine or Z-drug for 4 weeks or more

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unability to communicate in French
• Palliative care
• Ongoing benzodiazepine withdrawal
• Ongoing alcohol withdrawal
• Severe anxiety
• Severe depression