Department of Family Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tal Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Department of Family Medicine, Maccabi Healthcare Services, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Fam Pract. 2022 Jan 19;39(1):59-64. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmab108.
Use of medical cannabis (MC) in Israel has increased since its regulatory approval in 2016. Currently, more than 1% of Israeli adults are treated with MC; this requires primary care physicians (PCPs) to be familiar with this treatment option.
We assessed the attitudes and knowledge of Israeli PCPs toward MC and evaluated their willingness to prescribe it for different medical conditions.
A cross-sectional survey which was distributed to PCPs in Israel. Physicians were asked about their opinions, knowledge, and willingness to prescribe MC.
Two hundred and one PCPs answered the questionnaire. Their average age was 47 years (±11.2), 71% were specialists. 51% of the respondents thought that MC is an effective treatment. 63% replied that they had little knowledge and 75% indicated that they would like to deepen it. 61% of the respondents were willing to initiate an MC treatment for a dying patient, while less than 50% were willing to initiate MC treatment for various other conditions. Most respondents indicated that they were willing to renew a prescription for any approved medical condition. Willingness to prescribe MC increased for physicians who agreed that MC was effective (odds ratio [OR] 21.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.40-200.85), for physicians who strongly agreed with the statement that they had sufficient knowledge (OR 5.0, 95% CI 1.58-15.83) and for residents compared with specialists (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.52-10.73).
Our survey revealed PCPs' differing opinions and insufficient knowledge regarding treatment with MC. These findings suggest that continuing medical education regarding MC is needed.
自 2016 年监管批准以来，以色列的医用大麻（MC）使用率有所增加。目前，超过 1%的以色列成年人接受 MC 治疗；这需要初级保健医生（PCP）熟悉这种治疗选择。
我们评估了以色列 PCP 对 MC 的态度和知识，并评估了他们为不同医疗状况开 MC 的意愿。
这是一项横断面调查，在以色列的 PCP 中进行。医生被问及他们对 MC 的意见、知识和开 MC 的意愿。
201 名 PCP 回答了问卷。他们的平均年龄为 47 岁（±11.2），71%是专家。51%的受访者认为 MC 是一种有效的治疗方法。63%的人回答说他们的知识有限，75%的人表示希望加深对 MC 的了解。61%的受访者愿意为临终患者启动 MC 治疗，而不到 50%的人愿意为各种其他疾病启动 MC 治疗。大多数受访者表示，他们愿意为任何批准的医疗状况续签 MC 处方。同意 MC 有效的医生（优势比[OR]21.9，95%置信区间[CI]2.40-200.85）、强烈同意他们有足够知识的医生（OR 5.0，95% CI 1.58-15.83）和住院医生与专家相比（OR 4.0，95% CI 1.52-10.73）更愿意开 MC 处方。
我们的调查显示，PCP 对 MC 治疗的看法和知识存在差异。这些发现表明，需要对 MC 进行继续医学教育。
