Title: Medicinal Cannabis (MC) use in palliative care - a qualitative study among rural/regional patients

Ethics Approval: Obtained – LNR163-LNR/17/NCC/39 – Completed research.

The addition of MC to the medication regimes of our patients is now  becoming a constant. Patients who are using it are obtaining it from diverse sources. 

 

Our qualitative interview study aimed to explore the reasoning behind patients’ and family’s decision making in relation to accessing MC, and to gain a greater understanding of the drivers that propel people to choose this therapy.

 

Qualitative interview study using a pragmatic approach to data collection and analysis.

 

A pragmatic thematic analysis of 15 interviews among palliative care patients who were self-prescribing MC will be presented.  Patients aimed to relieve symptoms such as pain, nausea and vomiting, and to stimulate appetite. Patients and carers generally held the view that it is a benign substance that might benefit them. Questions of contraindications or adverse events and whether their GP or medical specialist knows, were often overruled by the hope of symptom relief.

 

Positive, neutral and negative stories will be presented. The key over-arching domain targeted by self-prescription was quality of life.

 

MC worked well for most study participants, though not all. Its place in the palliative care practice domain should be further researched.