Perceptions of psychiatrists toward long-acting injectable antipsychotics: A cross-sectional survey from Fujian, China

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and willingness of psychiatrists to promote long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) in Fujian Province, China, and to identify the influencing factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using convenience sampling among psychiatrists attending a provincial conference. An 18-item online questionnaire was distributed via Wenjuanxing. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman's rank correlation were used. Benjamini-Hochberg FDR correction was applied for multiple correlations. RESULTS: A total of 222 psychiatrists completed the survey, with 90 respondents (40.5%) identifying as female. The largest age group was 30-39 years (46.9%). Most participants (51.4%) had > 10 years of clinical experience, and 65 (29.3%) held senior professional titles. Most participants reported adequate knowledge of LAIs (96.4%), recognized their therapeutic value (80.2%) and favorable application prospects (87.8%), and expressed a willingness to promote LAIs (82.4%).High cost was identified as the primary barrier to clinical use (90.5%) and the most critical factor for wider adoption (88.3%). Psychiatrists with more clinical experience (>10 years) held significantly more positive attitudes regarding overall therapeutic value, willingness to promote LAIs, and support for early application (all P < 0.05). Spearman's correlation analysis indicated that positive attitudes were significantly associated with greater clinical experience (ρ = 0.302, q < 0.01) and higher levels of knowledge (ρ = 0.297, q < 0.01) after FDR correction. CONCLUSION: Psychiatrists in Fujian Province demonstrated adequate knowledge and generally positive attitudes toward LAIs. Psychiatrists' willingness to promote LAIs was associated with knowledge level and clinical experience, but reducing the cost of drug patents may contribute to improving the prescription rates. Future efforts should focus on systematic training, academic communication, positive prescribing experiences, and policy coordination to overcome cost and stigma barriers.