Patterns of hypnotic medication use for sleep disturbance amongst hospital inpatients

Objective: The objective of this article is to examine patterns of temazepam prescribing amongst inpatients at a Sydney teaching hospital. Method: The study involved a retrospective file audit of 98.8% (n=410) of patients discharged from psychiatry, medical, surgical and obstetric and gynaecology wards of Nepean Hospital during a one-week period. Data was collected on patient demographics, temazepam and other sedative-hypnotic use, falls risk and analgesia use. Results: Sixteen per cent (n=64) of patients were prescribed temazepam during their stay. All patients from the psychiatry wards had been prescribed temazepam. Fifteen per cent (n=6) of falls risk patients had been prescribed temazepam. Temazepam prescription was associated with an increased length of stay, psychiatry and surgical wards, and higher use of analgesia. Conclusions: Temazepam continues to be a frequently prescribed medication in the acute psychiatry setting. Its frequent prescription to patients in surgical wards and to those prescribed analgesic agents indicates that it still has a role in settling patients to sleep in the hospital setting.