- 1Institute of Rheumatology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- 2Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- 3McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
While
medical cannabis has been used for thousands of years in the treatment
of pain and other symptoms, evidence-based use is limited and
practitioners face multiple areas of uncertainty regarding the rational
use of these compounds. Nonetheless, an increasing public interest and
advocacy in favor of medical cannabis is causing the issue to be
encountered ever more frequently by physicians in different fields of
medicine and particularly in rheumatology. In view of this situation, we
have surveyed the attitudes of Israeli rheumatologists to the use of
medical cannabis.
OBJECTIVES:
As
rheumatologists are specialized in caring for patients presenting with
musculoskeletal complaints, the confidence of rheumatologists' knowledge
of cannabinoids was surveyed.
METHODS:
All
members of the Israeli Society of Rheumatology were surveyed by e-mail
for their confidence and knowledge of cannabinoids and their perceived
competence to prescribe herbal cannabis.
RESULTS:
A
total of 23 out of 119 (19.3%) Israeli rheumatologists approached
returned the questionnaire. Three-quarters of responders were not
confident about their knowledge of cannabinoid molecules or ability to
write a prescription for herbal cannabis, and 78% were not confident to write a prescription for herbal cannabis; 74% of responders held the opinion that there was some role for cannabinoids in the management of rheumatic disease.
CONCLUSION:
Israeli
rheumatologists lack confidence in their knowledge of cannabinoids in
general, yet are open to the possibility of introducing this treatment.
Additional data and guidance are necessary in order to allow rational
utilization of cannabinoids for management of rheumatic pain.
