Rheumatologists lack confidence in their knowledge of cannabinoids pertaining to the management of rheumatic complaints

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Zach Walsh¹  Kam Shojania⁴  Yoram Shir⁷  Jason J McDougall²  Sharon LeClercq⁵  Jacob Karsh⁸  Shahin Jamal⁶  Daniel J Clauw³  Peter A Ste-Marie³  Mary-Ann Fitzcharles⁷ 

[1] Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada;Departments of Pharmacology and Anaesthesia, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada;Department of Anaesthesiology, Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Michigan, USA;Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, Vancouver, Canada;Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada;Division of Rheumatology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada;Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Canada;Division of Rheumatology, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada

关键词: Physician knowledge;    Rheumatic diseases;    Cannabinoids;   

Others  :  1122281
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2474-15-258

 received in 2013-12-10, accepted in 2014-07-23,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Arthritis pain is reported as one of the most common reasons for persons using medical herbal cannabis in North America. “Severe arthritis” is the condition justifying legal use of cannabis in over half of all authorizations in Canada, where cannabis remains a controlled substance. As champions for the care of persons with arthritis, rheumatologists must be knowledgeable of treatment modalities both traditional and non-traditional, used by their patients. As study of cannabinoid molecules in medicine is recent, we have examined the confidence in the knowledge of cannabinoids expressed by Canadian rheumatologists.

Methods

The confidence of rheumatologists in their knowledge of cannabinoid molecules and mechanisms relevant to rheumatology, and their ability to advise patients about cannabinoid treatments was recorded by an online questionnaire circulated via email to the entire Canadian Rheumatology Association membership.

Results

Over three quarters of the 128 respondents lacked confidence in their knowledge of cannabinoid molecules. While 45% of respondents believed there was no current role for cannabinoids in rheumatology patient care, only 25% supported any use of herbal cannabis. With 70% never having previously prescribed or recommended any cannabinoid treatment, uncertainty regarding good prescribing practices was prevalent. Concerns about risks of cannabis use were in line with the current literature.

Conclusions

Rheumatologists lacked confidence in their knowledge of cannabinoid molecules in general and in their competence to prescribe any cannabinoid for rheumatic complaints. In line with this uncertainty, there is reticence to prescribe cannabinoid preparations for rheumatology patients. Guidance is required to inform rheumatologists on the evidence regarding cannabinoids.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Fitzcharles et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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