Most Canadian healthcare providers feel uncomfortable with their cannabis knowledge | Research

The takeaway

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.

Healthcare providers, medical educators, and policymakers working on medical cannabis access.

56% of providers felt uncomfortable with their cannabis knowledge

What the researchers 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.

Why it 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 numbers in context

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 the study worked

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.

What this study cannot 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.

How to read the evidence

Cross-sectional survey with small, self-selected sample from Canadian healthcare associations.

When this study was published

Published in 2022, survey conducted April-December 2021.

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.

Questions still open

Would structured cannabis education in medical school change prescribing patterns? Do providers in jurisdictions with more established medical cannabis programs feel differently?

Common 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.

Read the original research

Healthcare practitioner perceptions on barriers impacting cannabis prescribing practices.

BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 22(1), 237

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

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