Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The Spitzer Department of Social Work, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Complement Ther Med. 2021 Jun;59:102720. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102720. Epub 2021 Apr 14.
To examine attitudes and beliefs about medical cannabis (MC), and specifically about its application for pain management, across medical students in Israel and Thailand.
Cross-sectional survey which measured attitudes and beliefs about MC. Participants were additionally asked to rate the perceived efficacy of MC for different medical conditions that are related to pain (arthritis, chronic pain, fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis). Pearson's Chi-squared test was used to compare between students from the participating universities.
430 medical students participated, 37.9 % (n = 163) from Israel and 62.1 % (n = 267) from Thailand. Personal cannabis use was reported by 55.6 % of the Israeli and only by 6.9 % of the Thai students (p < .001). Israeli secular students, compared to those from Thailand, were more likely to recommend MC for patient treatment, less concerned about serious physical and mental health risks, and more inclined to support legalization of recreational cannabis. Israeli students reported more permissive attitudes toward MC, but reported feeling less prepared to answer patient/client questions about MC than their Thai counterparts.
The findings of this study accentuate the need for curriculum designed around MC use to promote students' preparedness to serve patients in pain or with other medical conditions that may benefit from MC use.
调查以色列和泰国医学生对医用大麻（MC）的态度和信念，特别是对其在疼痛管理中的应用。
横断面调查，测量了对 MC 的态度和信念。参与者还被要求评估 MC 对与疼痛相关的不同医疗状况（关节炎、慢性疼痛、纤维肌痛和多发性硬化症）的疗效。使用 Pearson's Chi-squared 检验比较来自参与大学的学生之间的差异。
共有 430 名医学生参与了研究，其中 37.9%（n = 163）来自以色列，62.1%（n = 267）来自泰国。55.6%的以色列学生报告曾使用过大麻，而只有 6.9%的泰国学生报告过（p <.001）。与泰国学生相比，以色列世俗学生更倾向于推荐 MC 用于患者治疗，对严重的身心健康风险的担忧较小，并且更倾向于支持娱乐用大麻合法化。以色列学生对 MC 的态度更为宽容，但报告称他们对回答患者/客户关于 MC 的问题的准备程度不如泰国学生。
本研究的结果强调了需要围绕 MC 使用设计课程，以提高学生为疼痛或其他可能受益于 MC 使用的医疗状况的患者提供服务的准备程度。
