“We want what's best for patients.” nurse leaders’ attitudes about medical cannabis: A qualitative study

Kurtzman, Ellen T.; Greene, Jessica; Begley, Robyn; Drenkard, Karen

doi:10.1016/j.ijnsa.2022.100065

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Positive views towards the clinical utility of medicinal cannabis have been previously documented among nurse leaders in the United States [55] and cannabis clinicians in New Zealand [56], and reflect patient reports on the benefits of medicinal cannabis across a wide range of health conditions [57]. This study captures this perspective among Australian practitioners, providing insight into the facilitators behind recent exponential increases in applications to prescribe medicinal cannabis, despite pervasive barriers such as cost of products and time [21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘The wild west of medicine’: A qualitative investigation of the factors influencing Australian health‐care practitioners' delivery of medicinal cannabis

Dobson,

Barber,

Graham

et al. 2024

Drug and Alcohol Review

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IntroductionStrong patient interest in the use of medicinal cannabis to treat various clinical indications has sparked global legislative changes. Practitioners are vital in implementing regulatory changes and facilitating patient access to medicinal cannabis, however, little is currently known about the factors influencing practitioners' uptake. Recent rapid increases in practitioner applications to prescribe medicinal cannabis in Australia provides a unique backdrop to examine the current factors influencing prescribing behaviours. This qualitative study examined Australian practitioners' perspectives on prescribing medicinal cannabis to provide a comprehensive exploration of the potential factors influencing uptake in clinical practice.MethodsSeventeen semi‐structured interviews were conducted with Australian health‐care practitioners. Transcripts were analysed using the Framework approach to thematic analysis and cross‐mapped to appropriate domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework.ResultsWe identified four themes related to the barriers and facilitators to prescribing medicinal cannabis: (i) clinical capabilities needed to prescribe; (ii) prescribing an unapproved therapeutic good; (iii) negative attitudes towards prescribers in the medical community; and (iv) divergent beliefs about clinical utility.Discussion and ConclusionsPractitioners face multiple pervasive barriers to prescribing medicinal cannabis. Beliefs about clinical utility appear to be highly influential in shaping prescribing behaviours. Moreover, our findings suggest that a medicinal cannabis ‘specialisation’ has emerged within the Australian medical community. Findings demonstrate that a range of complex and multifaceted factors influence practitioners' medicinal cannabis prescribing behaviours. We highlight several considerations for policy and practice to support safe and appropriate patient access to medicinal cannabis in this emerging area of clinical practice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘The wild west of medicine’: A qualitative investigation of the factors influencing Australian health‐care practitioners' delivery of medicinal cannabis

Dobson,

Barber,

Graham

et al. 2024

Drug and Alcohol Review

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“…To explore how hospitals handle medical marijuana in states where it is legal, we conducted an anonymous, national, online survey of nurse leaders. The survey was developed based on findings from semi-structured focus groups and one-on-one interviews with 28 nurse leaders, which were approximately 60 min long and were conducted in March and April 2021 (Kurtzman et al, 2022). Survey participants were recruited through the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL), which is the national professional organization of nursing leadership and represents more than 10,000 nurse leader members.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Are Patients Who Legally Use Medical Marijuana Treated When Hospitalized?

Kurtzman

Greene

2023

Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice

Self Cite

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The majority of U.S. states have legalized marijuana for medical use and some states have legalized marijuana for recreational use; yet, marijuana remains illegal federally. Given the misalignment between state and federal policies, this paper seeks to explore how hospitals handle inpatients’ medical marijuana use in states where medical marijuana is legal. To examine this phenomenon, we conducted an anonymous, online, cross-sectional survey of nurse leaders working in acute care inpatient settings in states that had legalized medical marijuana. Using descriptive statistics, we report on these nurse leaders’ experiences. There were 811 survey responses—291 who worked in an acute care inpatient setting in a state that had legalized medical marijuana. Among those respondents, only a small percentage reported that inpatients had some access to their medical marijuana: 5.8% reported that the drug was kept in the pharmacy and dispensed like other prescriptions; another 3.4% indicated that patients kept the medical marijuana in their rooms and took it, as needed. Most respondents (55.6%) reported that patients were switched to an alternative medication during their inpatient hospital stays. Almost half (49.4%) of the nurse leaders who reported that alternative medications were used, reported that opioids were substituted, and the majority reported that the marijuana was safer than the opioids. These findings are concerning given the increase in opioid overdose deaths.

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“…As suggested in international studies, nurses and future nurses in Portugal as well should receive to pre and post-graduate cannabis training, ideally before they start working with it, in order to provide the best possible service in this emerging eld in Portugal, Europe and the world. (6) (19) The study has some limitations, i.e. it must be completed on line, which means that people who do not have access to these technologies are excluded.…”

Section: Pre and Medical Cannabis Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, opinions and experiences of nurses and nursing students in Portugal regarding the use of Medical Cannabis

Paiva,

Santos,

Cunha-Oliveira

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background: The opening up of the laws to medicinal cannabis in recent years is a key factor in the growth of this therapy, but there is little information about what nurses know and think about it. The present paper seeks to analyse the knowledge, opinions and experiences of nurses and nursing students in Portugal regarding the use of cannabis and to understand gender differences. Methods: A self-completion questionnaire was drawn up and published on line. It received face and content validity and was approved by the Ethics Committee. The instrument includes socio-demographic data, questions about knowledge, opinions, experiences and training in cannabis. The data was collected and processed by applying descriptive and inferential statistics using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test on the SPSS platform. Results: The majority of the 610 participants were women. The therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis were appreciated by 79,6% of nurses and 84,3% of students. When asked about the functions of the endocannabinoid system, 71,7% of nurses and 79,5% of students had never heard of it. There is a statistically significant gender difference concerning personal experience of cannabis use to treat symptoms or illnesses. Conclusions: There is a need for further education of nurses and to include this emerging area in the curricula.

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“We want what's best for patients.” nurse leaders’ attitudes about medical cannabis: A qualitative study

Cited by 8 publications

References 12 publications

‘The wild west of medicine’: A qualitative investigation of the factors influencing Australian health‐care practitioners' delivery of medicinal cannabis

‘The wild west of medicine’: A qualitative investigation of the factors influencing Australian health‐care practitioners' delivery of medicinal cannabis

How Are Patients Who Legally Use Medical Marijuana Treated When Hospitalized?

Knowledge, opinions and experiences of nurses and nursing students in Portugal regarding the use of Medical Cannabis

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