Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
Portland VA Health Care System, Portland, Oregon.
J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2021 Mar 19;34(1):100-106. doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000590.
Legalization of cannabis use and the evidence base supporting both risks and benefits of cannabinoids are expanding, but our understanding of health care professionals' (HCPs) knowledge about cannabis for medical purposes is limited. Understanding of the knowledge base and knowledge gaps about medical cannabis use is critical to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) because they are increasingly called on to manage patients taking multiple drugs, including prescribed and unprescribed cannabis and prescription cannabinoids.
The purpose of this study was to examine HCPs' knowledge of clinical cannabis, including laws and regulations; risks and harms; pharmacology; and effects on pain, multiple sclerosis spasticity, and seizures as assessed with written tests before an in-person, continuing medical education program.
Total scores and differences among professions and topics were compared.
A total of 178 of the 226 program attendees completed the test (79%) (107 [47%] physicians, 30 [13%] APRNs, and 18 [8%] registered nurses). The mean test score was 63.2% (SD = 12.7%) without significant differences among professions (F(3, 174) = 1.53; p = .21) but with significant differences among topics (χ2(7, 1068) = 201.13; p < .001). The score was lowest for effects on seizures (43.8%) and with scores below 70% for all other areas except laws and regulations (85.7%).
There are substantial gaps in HCPs' knowledge about the clinical effects of cannabis, especially about risks and harms, pharmacology, and the effects on pain, multiple sclerosis spasticity, and seizures. Further education may help HCPs to understand the risks and benefits of cannabis and cannabinoids across conditions.
大麻使用合法化以及支持大麻素风险和益处的证据基础正在扩大，但我们对医疗保健专业人员（HCP）在医学用途大麻方面的知识了解有限。了解医疗大麻使用的知识库和知识差距对于注册护士（APRN）至关重要，因为他们越来越多地被要求管理同时服用多种药物的患者，包括处方和非处方大麻和处方大麻素。
本研究旨在通过书面测试评估 HCP 对临床大麻的知识，包括法律和法规；风险和危害；药理学；以及对疼痛、多发性硬化症痉挛和癫痫发作的影响，然后在现场进行继续教育计划。
比较了总分以及专业和主题之间的差异。
共有 226 名课程参加者中的 178 人完成了测试（79%）（107 名[47%]医生、30 名[13%] APRN 和 18 名[8%]注册护士）。测试的平均分数为 63.2%（SD=12.7%），专业之间没有显著差异（F（3，174）=1.53；p=.21），但主题之间存在显著差异（χ2（7，1068）=201.13；p<.001）。在癫痫发作的影响方面得分最低（43.8%），除了法律和法规（85.7%）外，其他所有领域的得分均低于 70%。
HCP 在大麻的临床效果方面存在重大知识差距，尤其是在风险和危害、药理学以及对疼痛、多发性硬化症痉挛和癫痫发作的影响方面。进一步的教育可能有助于 HCP 了解各种疾病条件下大麻和大麻素的风险和益处。
