Effect of long-acting injectable antipsychotics on treatment adherence and healthcare utilization in Chinese patients with schizophrenia: a mirror-image study

作者：Lei Zhang, Tao Wu, Jingwen Li, Chunkai Du, Rui Chi, Kun Jiang, Hong Qiu, Yea‐Jen Hsu, Wentian Dong, Huaning Wang, Tianmei Si · 发表于：Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1177/20451253251360400 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Schizophrenia research and treatment、Family Caregiving in Mental Illness、Tryptophan and brain disorders

Background: Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics can improve treatment adherence in patients with schizophrenia. Despite their benefits, LAIs are underused in China compared to other countries. Little real-world evidence describes the impact of switching from oral to LAI antipsychotics on adherence and healthcare utilization in clinical practice in China, which could help address this gap. Objectives: To understand utilization of LAI and to assess the impact of switching from oral to LAI antipsychotics on adherence and healthcare utilization. Design: This is a retrospective, 1-year mirror-image study using electronic health records (2012–2019) from a psychiatric specialized hospital and the psychiatry department in a general hospital in China. The observation period was 1 year before and after LAI initiation in patients already receiving oral antipsychotics. Methods: Adult patients (aged 18–65) who initiated LAIs after receiving oral antipsychotics, with schizophrenia diagnosis at least 12 months before LAI initiation were included. The date of LAI initiation was designated as the index date. Adherence to antipsychotics was assessed by the proportion of days covered. Schizophrenia-related healthcare utilization comprised the percentage of patients who had admissions, the duration of inpatient stays, the number of inpatient visits, and outpatient visits. Wilcoxon signed-rank test and McNemar’s test were used for before-after comparison. Results: Overall, 98 and 59 eligi...