Does accreditation improve pro re nata benzodiazepines administration in psychiatric inpatients? Pre-post accreditation medical record comparison

BACKGROUND: In psychiatric inpatients, administration of pro re nata benzodiazepines is a common practice. Benzodiazepine use is associated with potential complications of risk of abuse, cognitive impairment, and falls. An interest in accreditation is growing rapidly among many countries to enhance the quality of health care services. We aimed to investigate whether hospital accreditation drives improvements for administered pro re nata benzodiazepines in psychiatric inpatients. METHODS: The study reviewed medical records of consecutive hospital admissions for pre- and post-accreditation comparisons of PRN benzodiazepine medications in two acute mental health wards at a teaching general hospital. Data obtained from the 12-month-post-accreditation period (July 2011–June 2012) were compared with those from the 12-month-pre-accreditation period (July 2009–June 2010). The adoption of accreditation standards occurred over a 12-month period in the middle of the study (July 2010–June 2011). Compiled information included demographics, diagnosis, assessment, and LOS. All identified charts were reviewed; there were no exclusion criteria. Patients were not contacted. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant (P < 0.002) reduction of approximately 22% in the number of administered PRN benzodiazepines. Post-accreditation, the average number of PRN benzodiazepines administrations per patient, was 4.83 ± 2.1 compared to 6.19 ± 3.4 pre-accreditation. There was no significant difference between the two genders. The highest average quantity of PRN benzodiazepines administered was during the time interval of 18–24 h. CONCLUSION: Accreditation may have a positive impact on the process of administering PRN benzodiazepine medications in psychiatric inpatients.