Patient satisfaction with long-acting injectable buprenorphine: What needs to be measured from the patient’s perspective?

Background<br/>Long-acting injectable buprenorphine is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder. This paper asks: 1. How satisfied are people with long-acting injectable buprenorphine during their first year of treatment? 2. How do people receiving long-acting injectable buprenorphine assess treatment satisfaction/dissatisfaction? 3. Does long-acting injectable buprenorphine require its own specific satisfaction measure?<br/><br/>Methods<br/>Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 26 people receiving long-acting injectable buprenorphine. Participants were recruited from community drug treatment services in England and Wales. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed via Iterative Categorization.<br/><br/>Results<br/>Patient satisfaction was high and constituted through six domains: 1. Global satisfaction (overall satisfaction, preferred medication); 2. Medication features (dose, injection, knowing what to expect, availability); 3. Effects on substance use (drug consumption, withdrawal symptoms); 4. Effects on substance use treatment (not having to attend services daily, support provided by services); 5. Effects on the self (physical changes, psychological impact); 6. Effects on daily life (employment/studying, interest in other activities, relationships, material possessions, no acquisitive crime).<br/><br/>Conclusions<br/>Satisfaction is a multifaceted construct extending beyond long-acting injectable buprenorphine’s pharmacological properties and encompassing wider life areas. Further research is needed to develop a specific satisfaction measure, but adaptations to clinical practice may improve satisfaction meantime.