Researchers: Sharon Sznitman¹, Simon Vulfsons²

Background: Physicians play a major role in the implementation of medical cannabis policies, as they are responsible for its recommendation to patients. Yet, little research exists on what influences physicians’’ intention to recommend medical cannabis.

Objectives: To identify factors that influence Israeli physicians’ intentions to recommend medical cannabis.

Method: A qualitative study, Delphi study and a cross-sectional study among pain physicians, oncologists and family physicians (n=247).

Findings: Pain physicians had the least favorable attitudes towards medical cannabis, oncologists had more favorable norms, and family physicians had less control and less knowledge. The intentions to recommend medical cannabis for the cancer patient scenario were higher than for the chronic pain scenario. Intentions to recommend for the cancer patient were associated with past experience and with more positive attitudes. Intentions to recommend for the chronic-pain patient were associated with whether the physician had a private practice, with more positive attitudes, norms and control, and lower levels of knowledge.

Conclusions: It has been emphasized that lack of knowledge is a barrier to rational medical cannabis recommendation.
The current study suggests that other social factors (attitudes, norms and control) are also important to consider in relation to medical cannabis recommendations.
Results suggest that this is especially true for the chronic pain field, where more social factors were related to intentions to recommend medical cannabis than for the cancer patient scenario.

Recommendations: Educational needs, albeit important, may not be the most important needs of physicians in relation to medical cannabis. In light of current discussions of physicians' training on medical cannabis, findings suggest that any attempt to improve recommendation practices needs to go beyond knowledge provision. The findings additionally suggest that different training, policy and guidelines may be needed for different fields of medicine.

Research end date: 05/2017