Health system developed method to track medical marijuana use in patient records
A Pennsylvania health system's structured documentation tool for medical marijuana captured certifying conditions and products well (93% and 93%) but dosage information poorly (31%), highlighting a gap in clinical cannabis documentation.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Smart data elements for medical marijuana documentation had high completion for certifying conditions (93.6%), product (92.9%), dispensary (87.8%), and active ingredient (83.3%), but low completion for certifying provider (61.5%) and dosage (30.8%). Documentation was primarily done by nurses/medical assistants (88.5%) in primary care settings (68.6%).
Key Numbers
156 records analyzed. Interrater reliability kappa=0.966. Condition documented: 93.6%. Product: 92.9%. Dispensary: 87.8%. Active ingredient: 83.3%. Certifying provider: 61.5%. Dosage: 30.8%.
How They Did This
Retrospective analysis of 156 medical records with MMJ documentation at Geisinger health system (Pennsylvania). Protocol developed for consistent data extraction with high interrater reliability (kappa=0.966).
Why This Research Matters
Without systematic documentation of medical cannabis in health records, clinicians cannot track patient use, assess drug interactions, or evaluate treatment outcomes. The 31% dosage documentation rate is a significant safety gap.
The Bigger Picture
The lack of integration between state MMJ registries and health records means clinicians cannot easily identify patients using medical cannabis, unlike other scheduled medications visible through prescription monitoring programs.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Single health system in Pennsylvania. Only captures documented use, not actual use patterns. Retrospective design. Smart data elements are voluntary and dependent on clinical staff completing them.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would mandatory EHR integration of MMJ registry data improve documentation?
- ?Can improved documentation reduce adverse drug interactions for medical cannabis patients?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Only 31% had dosage documented
- Evidence Grade:
- Single-system retrospective analysis with high data extraction reliability, but limited to one institution and one documentation approach.
- Study Age:
- 2024 analysis of Geisinger health system MMJ documentation (2019-2022)
- Original Title:
- Medical Marijuana Documentation Practices in Patient Electronic Health Records: Retrospective Observational Study Using Smart Data Elements and a Review of Medical Records.
- Published In:
- JMIR formative research, 8, e65957 (2024)
- Authors:
- Beiler, Donielle, Chopra, Aanya, Gregor, Christina M(2), Tusing, Lorraine D, Pradhan, Apoorva M, Romagnoli, Katrina M, Kraus, Chadd K, Piper, Brian J, Wright, Eric A, Troiani, Vanessa
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05127
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
Do doctors know when patients use medical marijuana?
Not consistently. No integration exists between Pennsylvania's MMJ registry and health records. This study's structured documentation tool helped, but dosage information was recorded only 31% of the time.
Who documents medical marijuana use?
In this study, nurses and medical assistants (88.5%) documented MMJ use, primarily during primary care visits (68.6%), rather than the prescribing physicians themselves.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05127APA
Beiler, Donielle; Chopra, Aanya; Gregor, Christina M; Tusing, Lorraine D; Pradhan, Apoorva M; Romagnoli, Katrina M; Kraus, Chadd K; Piper, Brian J; Wright, Eric A; Troiani, Vanessa. (2024). Medical Marijuana Documentation Practices in Patient Electronic Health Records: Retrospective Observational Study Using Smart Data Elements and a Review of Medical Records.. JMIR formative research, 8, e65957. https://doi.org/10.2196/65957
MLA
Beiler, Donielle, et al. "Medical Marijuana Documentation Practices in Patient Electronic Health Records: Retrospective Observational Study Using Smart Data Elements and a Review of Medical Records.." JMIR formative research, 2024. https://doi.org/10.2196/65957
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Medical Marijuana Documentation Practices in Patient Electro..." RTHC-05127. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/beiler-2024-medical-marijuana-documentation-practices
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.