Analysing the perspectives of health professionals and legal cannabis users on the treatment of chronic pain with cannabidiol (CBD): A scoping review. (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Medical cannabis is one of the most commonly reported therapeutic treatments sought for chronic pain. The wide acceptance and research in alternative medicine has put medical cannabis in the limelight, where researchers are widely examining the therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis and its association to treat chronic pain. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the perspectives on CBD as an alternative treatment for chronic pain among health professionals and legal cannabis users. METHODS A comprehensive literature search was performed using over five databases for published literature and then extended to include grey literature. The software Covidence was used to perform a guided screen of titles, abstracts, and full texts for published literature. For grey literature, a range of websites and databases were searched manually. This review includes the studies from New Zealand and Australia, exploring user and health professional perspectives on the use of medical cannabis for chronic pain. The data was analysed using thematic analysis guided by Braun and Clarke [1] RESULTS The results of this scoping review are presented in a table summarising the findings which inform the key themes for the discussion. CONCLUSIONS The scoping review concludes with future recommendations for research to guide and inform policy in NZ.