PATIENT REQUESTS AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS NEUROLEPTICS

Little is known about care delivery systems, patients' requests and ap preciation of care of patients attending an outpatient (depot) neurole ptic clinic. Although the concepts of expectancy and satisfaction rema in methodologically debatable and are multi-dimensional, they are impo rtant variables in the process of care and its ultimate outcome, i.e. compliance. in this study, outpatients receiving oral or depot neurole ptics as maintenance therapy are compared using a Patient Request Scal e and a Neuroleptic Evaluation and Attitude Scale. No differences were found between either group on sociodemographic and psychiatric histor y related variables. Both groups of patients have a comparable attitud e towards their disease and medication use, as reflected in knowledgde of the medication they use and the reason why. The appreciation of ca re is comparable, but their treatment requests differ: the patients re ceiving oral medication are more comparable with the general populatio n and could be described as more psychologically minded. Patient attit ude, requests and appreciation of care are of relevance in the quality control systems that need to be developed in the maintenance therapy of psychotic patients.