Patients' acceptance of the deltoid application of risperidone long-acting injection

Recently risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) was approved for alternative injection into the deltoid muscle in addition to the already established injection into the gluteal muscle. For the first time two different injection locations of a long-acting antipsychotic injection can be offered to patients. Their actual acceptance is of key interest.

We surveyed 60 patients stabilized on gluteal RLAI therapy in our depot outpatient clinic. Participants were offered the possibility of switching to the alternative deltoid injection in a standardized manner. Prior to switching patients scored the extent of perceived pain and experienced level of shame through the present gluteal injection therapy on a 7-point-scale. Patients choosing to switch were followed up after three months and asked to report on their individual experience.

Switching to the deltoid application was chosen by 34 out of 60 patients. Three months later 15 patients were still receiving deltoid injections. The main reason for their staying with the deltoid injection was improved practicability as reported by these patients and 13 out of 15 patients clearly preferred the new location over the gluteal application. The main reason for returning to the gluteal injection was the pain experienced through the injection in the deltoid. Patients' initial decision whether to switch was not correlated with either perceived pain or the experienced level of shame through the preceding gluteal injections.

The application of RLAI in the deltoid muscle is viewed as an alternative to the injection in the gluteal muscle by a considerable number of patients. Nevertheless, some patients experience increased injection pain through this application location while others perceive the switch as beneficial in terms of practicability. Therefore offering both injection locations with their respective pros and cons should become standard in the RLAI treatment offered.