The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) announced on Apr. 14 a new behavioral design project, in collaboration with Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA), to address the widespread use of benzodiazepines in Spain. The initiative seeks to reduce long-term prescriptions and usage of these drugs, which are commonly prescribed for anxiety and insomnia but carry significant risks such as dependence and cognitive impairment.
This issue has become a pressing public health concern, with a recent study by the Spanish Organization of Consumers and Users showing that 22% of the population regularly uses benzodiazepines, often daily. The overprescription in primary care is identified as a major factor contributing to this trend.
Manuel Armayones, PhD in Psychology and full professor of behavioral design at UOC, leads the Behavioural Design Lab (BDLab) group responsible for the "No et quedis atrapat" (Don't get stuck) project. "The causes of these practices include factors relating to healthcare settings themselves, such as short appointments and overworked practitioners. Practitioners sometimes may feel that benzodiazepines are the only available tool to relieve patients' discomfort. There's also an understandable fear on the part of both healthcare practitioners and patients that symptoms will get worse if the medication is withdrawn, especially in cases of physical and psychological dependence," said Armayones.
Starting this April at CAP Martí i Julià primary care centre in Badalona, practical interventions will be implemented including professional training sessions, patient education materials provided by the Catalan Ministry of Health about risks associated with long-term use, reminders for prescription reviews after four weeks, posters encouraging dialogue about deprescribing, guides on alternatives to medication, and tools for reviewing prescriptions.
Armayones said: "We're aiming to change not just the volume of drugs prescribed, specifically benzodiazepines, but also deep-rooted patterns of prescription dispensing and use." He added that research shows interventions combining information about risks with support tools are most effective when grounded in behavioral theory frameworks.
Following completion later this year, researchers will assess whether these actions have reduced unnecessary prescriptions using both quantitative data analysis and qualitative feedback from professionals. If successful outcomes are found at CAP Martí i Julià centre, organizers plan to expand this model across other BSA-run clinics while sharing results with additional primary care organizations interested in structured deprescribing approaches tailored to their teams’ needs.
