Ng Jeremy Y, Gilotra Kevin, Usman Sana, Chang Yaping, Busse Jason W
Departments of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (Ng, Gilotra, Usman, Chang, Busse) and Anesthesia (Busse), Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University; The Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans (Busse); The Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research (Busse), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.
CMAJ Open. 2021 Apr 13;9(2):E342-E348. doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20200187. Print 2021 Apr-Jun.
Medical cannabis has been legally available in Canada since 2001, but its benefits and harms remain uncertain. We explored attitudes toward medical cannabis among family physicians practising in Ontario.
Between January and October 2019, we conducted a qualitative study of Ontario family physicians using semistructured telephone interviews. We applied thematic analysis to interview transcripts and identified representative quotes.
Eleven physicians agreed to be interviewed, and 3 themes regarding medical cannabis emerged: reluctance to authorize use, concern over harms and lack of practical knowledge. Participants raised concerns about the limited evidence for, and their lack of education regarding, the therapeutic use of cannabis, particularly the harms associated with neurocognitive development, exacerbation of mental illness and drug interactions in older adults. Some participants thought medical cannabis was overly accessible and questioned their role following legalization of recreational cannabis.
Despite the increasing availability of medical cannabis, family physicians expressed reluctance to authorize its use because of lack of knowledge and concerns regarding harms. Family physicians may benefit from guidance and education that address concerns they have surrounding medical cannabis.
自2001年以来，医用大麻在加拿大已合法供应，但其益处和危害仍不明确。我们探讨了安大略省执业家庭医生对医用大麻的态度。
2019年1月至10月期间，我们通过半结构化电话访谈对安大略省的家庭医生进行了一项定性研究。我们对访谈记录进行了主题分析，并确定了具有代表性的引述。
11名医生同意接受访谈，出现了3个关于医用大麻的主题：不愿授权使用、对危害的担忧以及缺乏实用知识。参与者对大麻治疗用途的证据有限以及他们缺乏相关教育表示担忧，特别是与神经认知发育、精神疾病加重和老年人药物相互作用相关的危害。一些参与者认为医用大麻过于容易获取，并对娱乐性大麻合法化后他们的角色提出了质疑。
尽管医用大麻的可获得性不断增加，但家庭医生因缺乏知识和对危害的担忧而表示不愿授权使用。家庭医生可能会从解决他们对医用大麻的担忧的指导和教育中受益。
