Background:Use of patient-reported outcomes to assess the care of individuals with schizophrenia is increasing. We describe a survey (questionnaire) that evaluates patient opinions on long-acting injectable antipsychotic medication.Methods:Psychiatrists throughout France selected consenting patients with schizophrenia who had received at least three months’ treatment with a long-acting injectable antipsychotic (either typical or atypical) as outpatients to be interviewed by professional interviewers.Results:A total of 206 patients were interviewed at 19 sites. Ninety-five percent of the patients had been treated with more than one form of dosage; for these individuals, injections were the favored dosage form, being preferred by 47% (compared with 35%, 7%, and 1% expressing a preference for oral tablets, drinkable solutions, and orally disintegrating tablets, respectively, whilst 10% of patients did not express a preference). Over two-thirds of the interviewees (67%) said they felt better having received an injectable treatment than they felt before, and over half the patients (51%) considered injectable therapy to be more effective than other medication. In addition, the majority of the sample (70%) felt better supported in their illness by virtue of regular contact with the doctor or nurse who administered their injection. Patients also reported that injectable treatment could impact positively on their plans and aspirations, with the most frequent consideration for the future relating to finding a job (49% of the sample).Conclusion:In this survey, patients with schizophrenia had favorable opinions on injectable medication. Ultimately, positive experiences associated with the treatment of schizophrenia in patients receiving long-acting injectable medication may influence the prescription of such therapy by health care providers.

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Method: A 43 patients group, 30 male and 13 female, mean age 42.1, admitted during an acute phase of chronic schizophrenia (DSM-IV-TR), were distributed on flexible dose of olanzapine (N¼12) 10-20 mg/day, aripiprazole (N¼11) 15-30 mg/day, risperidone (N¼10) 4-8 mg/day or haloperidol (N¼10) 10-20 mg/day. Weight, fasting glucose and HDL-cholesterol were weekly monitored during the first month and monthly after that. Inclusion criteria: baseline glucose and HDL-cholesterol levels within normal range. Exclusion criteria: familial history of diabetus mellitus or obesity. Results: Regarding the weight gain, the safest antipsychotic is aripiprazole (+0.4+/-0.2 kg at endpoint), followed by haloperidol (+1.9+/-0.2 kg), while olanzapine (+5.6+/-1.1 kg) and risperidone (+3.4+/-0.5 kg) are less tolerated. The glucose level >125 mg/dl was observed at endpoint in 3 patients with risperidone, 6 with olanzapine, 2 with haloperidol. The HDL-cholesterol over 40 mg/dl (men) and over 50 mg/dl (female) appeared in 4 cases of olanzapine and 3 cases of risperidone treated patients. Conclusions: There are quantitative differences in the level of weight gain, HDL-cholesterol and glucose level induced by antipsychotics. The safest antipsychotic agent is aripiprazole because it doesn't induce significant weight gain or other metabolic complications.