BackgroundThe research goal is to better understand prescriber, patient, and caregiver perspectives about long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic therapy and how these perspectives affect LAI use. Addressing these perspectives in the clinic may lead to greater success in achieving therapeutic goals for the patient with schizophrenia.MethodsEthnographic information was collected from a non-random sample of 69 prescriber-patient conversations (60 with community mental health center [CMHC] psychiatrists; 9 with nurse-practitioners) recorded during treatment visits from August 2011 to February 2012, transcribed and analyzed. Discussions were categorized according to 11 predetermined CMHC topics. In-person observations were also conducted at 4 CMHCs, including home visits by researchers (n = 15 patients) prior to the CMHC visit and observations of patients receiving injections and interacting with staff. Telephone in-depth interviews with psychiatrists, patients, and caregivers to gather additional information on LAI discussion, prescription, or use were conducted.ResultsAntipsychotic treatment decisions were made without patient or caregiver input in 40 of 60 (67%) of psychiatrist-patient conversations. Involvement of patients or caregivers in treatment decisions was greater when discussing LAI (15 of 60 [25%]) vs oral antipsychotic treatment (5 of 60 [8%]). LAIs were not discussed by psychiatrists in 11 of 22 (50%) patients taking oral antipsychotics. When offered, more LAI-naïve patients expressed neutral (9 of 19 [47%]) rather than favorable (3 of 19 [16%]) or unfavorable (7 of 19 [37%]) responses. Prescribers were most concerned about potentially damaging the therapeutic relationship and side-effects when discussing LAIs while patient resistance was often related to negative feelings about injections. Psychiatrists had some success in overcoming patient objections to LAIs by addressing and decomposing initial resistance. More than half (11 of 19 [58%]) of LAI-naïve patients agreed to start LAI treatment following office visits. Patient-described benefits of LAIs vs orals included perceived rapid symptom improvement and greater overall efficacy.ConclusionsIn this study, many psychiatrists did not offer LAIs and most patients and caregivers were not involved in antipsychotic treatment decision making. Opportunities to increase active patient engagement, address resistances, guide patient drug-formulation selection, and provide better LAI-relevant information for more individualized approaches to treating the patient with schizophrenia were present.

For patients with schizophrenia who initiate LAI antipsychotic therapy, there is an improvement in disease management based on fewer hospitalizations for relapses, which is also associated with a marked reduction in healthcare costs.

Medication nonadherence has been associated with persistence of psychotic symptoms, relapse, and hospitalization in patients with schizophrenia. Patients with untreated psychosis are significantly less likely to achieve remission, whereas antipsychotic drug adherence has been associated with recovery. As such, adherence to antipsychotic drug treatment is a key issue for nurses and treatment team members caring for patients who typically are on chronic, progressive disease course. Long-acting injectable (LAI) anti-psychotic drugs, developed to improve adherence and provide and alternative antipsychotic drug treatment fro schizophrenia, have been associated with improved treatment outcomes including reduction of relapse rates approximately 30% and reduction in hospitalizations. However, LAI antipsychotic drugs remain underutilized in the United States despite a growing body of literature supporting positive outcomes of LAI versus oral antipsychotic drugs. Mental health nurses are in a key position to support improved adherence inpatients with schizophrenia through use of practical educational strategies that help patients, family members, and health care providers better understand and manage treatment.

This study evaluated the impact of using long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics for a longer treatment duration versus a short duration on health care resource utilization among Medicaid-insured schizophrenia patients. Schizophrenia patients 13 years or older initiating LAI antipsychotics were identified from the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Research Medicaid database between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2010. The study population was grouped into 2 study cohorts (longer-usage-duration cohort: ≥ 180 days of supply and short-usage-duration cohort: <180 days of supply). Hospitalization-related resource utilization and costs were determined during a variable follow-up period and compared at the unadjusted and adjusted levels. Of the 5694 patients identified, 2838 patients were treated with LAI antipsychotics for a mean duration of 604 (SD, 432) days (mean age, 38.91 years), and 2856 were treated for 86 (SD, 43) days (mean age, 39.96 days). Total hospital lengths of stay, all cause (6.56 [SD, 18.63] vs 4.93 [SD, 13.40] days, P < 0.001) and schizophrenia related (5.18 [SD, 14.96] vs 4.16 [SD, 11.94] days, P = 0.005), and the mean number of hospitalizations, all cause (0.79 [SD, 1.78] vs 0.61 [SD, 1.41], P < 0.001) and schizophrenia related (0.63 [SD, 1.55] vs 0.51 [SD, 1.26], P = 0.001), were lower for the longer-usage-duration cohort. Cox regression results showed that using LAI antipsychotics for a longer duration was correlated with longer time to the first hospitalization for any cause and for schizophrenia. After multivariate regression, longer usage duration of LAI antipsychotics was associated with a decreased number of hospitalizations (-0.15 per year, P < 0.001), a decreased hospital length of stay (-1.50 days, P < 0.001), and reduced hospital payment (-26%, P < 0.001). Patients who are treated with LAI antipsychotics for a longer versus shorter duration use hospital resources less.

A61MEPS employs a complex, probabilistic survey design, standard error estimates were computed using the 'SURVEY' procedures of SAS. RESULTS: The percentage of the total US population on ADHD medications grew from 0.7% in 2000 to 1.4% in 2010 with an estimated average annual utilization growth rate of 13.1%.