PrescQIPP

Bulletin 352. Insomnia

This bulletin contains recommendations to optimise prescribing in insomnia.

A best-practice insomnia pathway is outlined that can be locally adapted, which includes non-drug measures such as digital CBT for insomnia (CBT-I).

Resources include a visual data pack and infobrief, audit, GP clinical system searches, patient hypnotic withdrawal letter and text messages, sample GP practice hypnotics policy, benzodiazepine deprescribing algorithm and educational presentation.

Our dependence forming medicines searches contain two searches on hypnotics:

  • Search to enable audit of patients receiving long-term hypnotics/anxiolytics (> 3 months) to identify those suitable for dose reduction.
  • Search to enable audit of patients with a repeat for any hypnotic/anxiolytic but not ordered in the last 6 months for discontinuing repeat.

Our melatonin searches identify patients prescribed:

  • an unlicensed melatonin preparation where there is potential for a switch to a licensed more cost-effective melatonin preparation.
  • melatonin outside of the licensed age groups. -melatonin treatment duration longer than licensed use.

Infographic

Visual data pack