Most Canadian healthcare providers feel uncomfortable with their cannabis knowledge
A survey of 70 Canadian healthcare providers found that 56% felt uncomfortable or ambivalent about their medical cannabis knowledge, and the biggest barrier to prescribing was uncertainty about safe dosing.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Only 6% received medical cannabis training in professional school, though 60% had other training. 56% felt uncomfortable or ambivalent about their knowledge. 27% were unfamiliar with the requirements for obtaining medical cannabis in Canada. The strongest barrier was uncertainty in safe and effective dosage and routes of administration.
Key Numbers
70 respondents (71% attending physicians or residents). 6% received cannabis training in school. 56% uncomfortable with their knowledge. 27% unfamiliar with authorization requirements. 82% had patients using medical cannabis. 57% received more questions since recreational legalization.
How They Did This
Survey distributed through 91 healthcare associations in Canada between April and December 2021. 24 organizations agreed to disseminate, and 70 individuals completed the questionnaire evaluating knowledge, comfort, and practice regarding medical and recreational cannabis.
Why This Research Matters
If most healthcare providers feel unprepared to prescribe medical cannabis, patients seeking it face unnecessary barriers. The training gap identified here points to a systemic failure in medical education.
The Bigger Picture
Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018, but years later, the majority of surveyed healthcare providers still felt inadequately trained. The disconnect between patient demand and provider readiness persists.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Low response rate (70 out of unknown total reached). Self-selected sample may not represent all Canadian HCPs. Survey-based data subject to response bias.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would structured cannabis education in medical school change prescribing patterns?
- ?Do providers in jurisdictions with more established medical cannabis programs feel differently?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 56% of providers felt uncomfortable with their cannabis knowledge
- Evidence Grade:
- Cross-sectional survey with small, self-selected sample from Canadian healthcare associations.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022, survey conducted April-December 2021.
- Original Title:
- Healthcare practitioner perceptions on barriers impacting cannabis prescribing practices.
- Published In:
- BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 22(1), 237 (2022)
- Authors:
- Hachem, Yasmina(2), Abdallah, Sara J(2), Rueda, Sergio(8), Wiese, Jessica L, Mehra, Kamna, Rup, Jennifer, Cowan, Juthaporn, Vigano, Antonio, Costiniuk, Cecilia T
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03896
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Are doctors trained to prescribe cannabis?
In this Canadian survey, only 6% of healthcare providers received any medical cannabis training in professional school, and 56% felt uncomfortable or ambivalent about their knowledge.
Why don't more doctors prescribe medical cannabis?
The biggest reported barrier was uncertainty about safe and effective dosage and administration routes, followed by a perceived lack of research evidence on safety and efficacy.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03896APA
Hachem, Yasmina; Abdallah, Sara J; Rueda, Sergio; Wiese, Jessica L; Mehra, Kamna; Rup, Jennifer; Cowan, Juthaporn; Vigano, Antonio; Costiniuk, Cecilia T. (2022). Healthcare practitioner perceptions on barriers impacting cannabis prescribing practices.. BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 22(1), 237. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-022-03716-9
MLA
Hachem, Yasmina, et al. "Healthcare practitioner perceptions on barriers impacting cannabis prescribing practices.." BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-022-03716-9
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Healthcare practitioner perceptions on barriers impacting ca..." RTHC-03896. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/hachem-2022-healthcare-practitioner-perceptions-on
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.