Objective:

To assess perceptions and willingness toward second-generation antipsychotic long-acting injectables (SGA-LAIs) among patients with schizophrenia, to identify the influencing factors, and to provide evidence for optimizing clinical implementation strategies.

Approach:

• Study Design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with patients attending outpatient follow-up visits at a tertiary psychiatric hospital, using convenience sampling and a validated questionnaire.
• Data Analysis: Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used, along with binary logistic regression models to explore determinants of willingness to accept SGA-LAIs.

Key Findings:

• 68.3% of participants expressed positive willingness to use SGA-LAIs.
• Significant differences in willingness were found based on disease course and prior SGA-LAI experience.
• Patients with prior SGA-LAI experience were 11.11 times more likely to accept SGA-LAIs.
• Main advantages of SGA-LAIs included avoiding daily medication (80.7%) and increased effectiveness (68.4%).
• Primary concerns included injection pain (56.8%) and rejection of needles (93.1%) among the unwilling group.

Interpretation:

Experience with SGA-LAIs and the duration of illness significantly influence patients' willingness to accept these medications.

Limitations:

• The study used convenience sampling, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
• The cross-sectional design does not allow for causal inferences.

Conclusion:

High acceptance of SGA-LAIs among patients with schizophrenia was observed, with experience and disease course as key influencing factors.