Prevalence and Predictors of Benzodiazepine Monotherapy in Patients With Depression: A National Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Depression guidelines discourage benzodiazepine monotherapy and limit use to short-term adjunctive therapy with antidepressants; however, patients with depression continue to receive benzodiazepine monotherapy. The prevalence and predictors of this prescribing pattern have not been described previously and are warranted to assist clinicians in identifying patients at highest risk of receiving benzodiazepine monotherapy.

Methods: A national, cross-sectional analysis of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2012 to 2015 was performed for adults treated for depression.

Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Utilization in a Nationally Representative Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction Outpatient Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) improve survival among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); however, studies have identified low utilization rates. No study has evaluated the prevalence and predictors of MRA prescribing in a nationally representative outpatient cohort.

Study Question: What is the prevalence and predictors of MRA prescribing among outpatients with HFrEF in the United States?

Study Design: A national cross-sectional secondary analysis of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2007 to 2014 including all office visits for HFrEF in patients aged >55 years.