The Times They Are A-Changin': Knowledge and Perceptions Regarding Medical Cannabis in an Academic Family Medicine Department.

Background And Objectives: The United States has seen an evolving perspective on the medical use of cannabis in recent years. Although a majority of states have enacted medical cannabis programs, physicians practicing in these states report a lack of knowledge, lingering concerns, and a need for more training regarding medical cannabis. This study provides a current snapshot of medical cannabis education in an academic family medicine department in a state with a medical cannabis program.

Methods: An electronic survey was sent to all 134 faculty physicians and residents within a family medicine department to assess current knowledge and attitudes regarding medical cannabis. Study authors performed descriptive statistical analysis of the survey data.

Results: Of the 61 individuals to complete the survey, 34 were residents and 27 were faculty. Overall, respondents displayed poor understanding of the state's medical cannabis program as well as cannabis regulations. A majority of both faculty and residents reported low self-rated competency levels for medical cannabis efficacy, adverse effects, and safety using Likert scales (1 to 5; 1=low competency, 5=high competency). A majority of faculty (56%) expressed that they did not intend to certify patients for medical cannabis compared to only 33% of residents. Residents were statistically more likely to think of a patient who might benefit from medical cannabis compared to faculty (39% vs 11%, =.004, chi-square).

Conclusions: Increasingly, family physicians will be called on to provide informed patient counseling regarding medical cannabis. These results highlight a knowledge gap for family medicine learners in a changing practice landscape.