Polish Physicians’ Perspectives on Medical Cannabis Policy and Educational Needs: Results of An Online Survey

Abstract

(1) Background: In November 2017, medical cannabis was legalized in Poland. Until now, there have been no studies conducted to examine the perspectives of Polish physicians about their preferences regarding medical cannabis legal status and educational needs. (2) Methods: The survey was a self-developed online questionnaire with 57 participants. Participation was voluntary. The link was shared through a personal network of medical doctors, regional medical chambers, and with doctors attending palliative care courses organized by our research group. Results: Between June and October 2020, 173 HCPs from Poland completed the survey. More than half of the study participants never received any education on medical cannabis (60.1%); 71.1% declared their knowledge was insufficient to counsel patients about medical cannabis use. The majority claimed that they would like to be able to answer patient questions (92.4%); 93.1% declared a need to create clear guidelines for using cannabinoids in clinical practice. Furthermore, 71.7% believed that medicines containing cannabinoids and 52.0% that herbal cannabis should be reimbursed (3). Conclusion: Most medical doctors do not feel prepared for patient counseling. They could benefit from targeted educational interventions. We have also identified physicians’ preferences that might inspire the stakeholders involved who are critical for shaping policies regarding cannabis-based therapeutics.

To Treat or Not to Treat? Polish Physicians’ Opinions about the Clinical Aspects of Cannabinoids—An Online Survey

“…However, hospice and hospital pharmacies cannot dispense cannabis because they cannot make magistral preparations, limiting access to an important target group, namely palliative patients [ 13 , 17 ]. Additionally, there are no approved indications list, contraindications, or national recommendations to define the dosing and other vital aspects for making magistral preparations of adequate quality [ 40 ].…”

“…An essential complication for a smooth introduction of medical cannabis into regular clinical practice is the lack of consensus of medical society in its recommendations. In the case of Poland, there is a lack of local recommendations that would consider local specifics [ 9 , 40 ]. Although pain treatment is the most studied and least controversial of the indications for cannabis use, its place in clinical practice is yet to be defined.…”

“…This was the first study to investigate the perspectives of Polish physicians about medical cannabis in both clinical aspects and their educational needs and opinions about systemic solutions (reported elsewhere) [ 40 ]. On average, they favored allowing medical cannabis use, regardless of age, gender, professional background, and past experiences with cannabis, but the magnitude of such support varied slightly among some of these groups.…”

“…This report focused only on those dedicated to clinical practice, preferences regarding cannabinoids’ use, and the perception of safety compared to other available medicines. The parts dedicated to educational needs and systemic solutions were described elsewhere [ 40 ].…”

Knowledge, experiences, and attitudes of Australian General Practitioners towards medicinal cannabis: a 2021–2022 survey

“…Most GP participants endorsed these two issues as ongoing problems. Formal education around MC has been suggested to improved comfort levels [ 14 , 15 , 24 ].…”