Reducing hypnotic use on two older adult functional wards: An effective audit?

Abstract

Aims and method: We undertook an audit of hypnotic use on two functional older adult wards, followed by an educational intervention to all nursing staff and junior doctors. We then repeated the audit. Results: Our pre-intervention audit showed a hypnotic use of 48%. This decreased to 26% for the first month following the educational intervention. Usage increased gradually in proportion to time from intervention. However, over the 4-month post-intervention period hypnotic use remained significantly lower than pre-intervention throughout the time period studied. Clinical implications: As the study is an audit there is no control group, but our results suggest regular staff education is needed to sustain a reduction in hypnotic use.