Disagreements about benzodiazepine use effects in Uruguay

• In Event: E/valuative Actions: Exploring the Doings of E/valuation in Evaluative Systems 1

Abstract

This paper analyzes scientific articles and narratives of public health professionals and patients about the use of benzodiazepines (BDZ) in Uruguay, a small Latin American country located between Argentina and Brazil.
Contradictory evidence in BDZ consumption practice is identified about the effects of the medication. We noted some conflicts between narratives themselves, between narratives and some scientific articles published in our country and with what is defined by evidence-based policy. Specific disagreements appears in the discourses about expected and no expected effects of use of BDZ what could put in question some implementation policies in public health about these drugs. We analyze specific context factors that could disturb the effectiveness of interventions as they were designed by the policy.
We want to discuss this matter to contribute and bring some information about the knowledge gap between care workers, policy makers and patients, specially because Uruguay is not an exception in these consumption practices.
The data presented are part of the results of two qualitative researches carried out during four years (from 2013 to 2016) about clinical practice of medicine, psychiatry and psychology in the Uruguayan public health sector. During these years we reviewed national publications about BDZ consumption practices and carried out 35 in-depth interviews to general practitioners, family doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists, 73 in-depth interviews with patients; 2 discussion groups; and 10 interviews with sanitary authorities.

Authors

• Nancy Beatriz Calisto, Academic, University of the Republic (Uruguay)

• Andrea Clara Bielli, Universidad de la República

• Santiago Navarro, Universidad de la República, Uruguay

• Marcela Jubin, no