Satisfaction With Long‐Acting Injectable Antipsychotic Treatment in People With Severe Mental Disorder: A Cross‐Sectional Observational Study From the Perspective of Community Nursing Practice

INTRODUCTION: Mental health nurses play a central role in administering long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatment and developing therapeutic relationships with people with severe mental disorder. However, patients' satisfaction with this treatment modality is not routinely assessed, potentially limiting person-centred care. AIM: To examine treatment satisfaction among people with severe mental disorder receiving long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatment in community mental health services, and to explore associations between satisfaction with this treatment and sociodemographic variables. METHOD: Cross-sectional observational study with 81 adults attending a community mental health service in Barcelona, Spain. Treatment satisfaction was assessed using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM v.1.4), and functional independence was assessed using the Barthel Index. Data were collected through structured nurse-led interviews. RESULTS: Participants reported high satisfaction with treatment convenience, effectiveness and global experience. One quarter reported treatment-related side effects. Convenience scores differed significantly by sex, marital status and age, with higher scores among women and older participants. Foreign-born participants reported higher effectiveness scores than Spanish participants. Most participants were functionally independent, with no significant differences in treatment satisfaction according to functional independence. DISCUSSION: Routine assessment of treatment satisfaction by mental health nurses may provide an opportunity to identify treatment-related concerns and support communication about care. LIMITATIONS: Single-site, cross-sectional design limits transferability and precludes causal inference. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Incorporating brief, structured assessment of treatment satisfaction and perceived side effects into routine long-acting injectable antipsychotic administration may help nurses identify treatment-related concerns and support communication with patients. RECOMMENDATIONS: Multicentre longitudinal studies are needed to examine how patient-reported satisfaction relates to clinical outcomes and therapeutic alliance. Embedding validated patient-reported outcome measures into routine nursing protocols for long-acting injectable antipsychotic administration is recommended.