Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Medical Cannabis

Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Medical Cannabis

Authors

Lliana Tsampoula, Afroditi Zartaloudi, Evangelos Dousis, Ioannis Koutelekos, Niki Pavlatou, Georgia Toulia, Antonia Kalogianni & Maria Polikandrioti


Published

August 16, 2023

Abstract

Introduction: Medical cannabis has been used to relieve the symptoms of people with various chronic diseases. Despite of this, it has been stigmatized, even after its legalization in many countries.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of life of patients receiving medical cannabis. Material and method: One hundred patients receiving medical cannabis were given (a) a socio-demographic and clinical questionnaire, and (b) the SF-36 Health Survey scale for assessing quality of life.

Results: The majority of our patients who received medical cannabis to treat their neurological disorders (58%) reported decrease in their symptoms (96%), better energy and vitality (68%), ability to perform their professional duties (88%), and an improvement in sleeping and appetite (79% and 71%, respectively) after receiving medical cannabis. Our participants exhibited very few restrictions in activities due to emotional difficulties, a moderate general health status as well as moderate vitality and energy. Participants, who reported a longer period of receiving medical cannabis, reported statistically significant more energy and vitality (p = 0.000), but also better mental (p = 0.000) and general health status (p = 0.001). Furthermore, the majority of patients have disclosed medical cannabis use to their family members (85%) and enjoyed their support (93%), but they haven’t revealed their medication treatment to their social environment (81%).

Conclusions: Appropriate knowledge could significantly help health professionals in the field of planning and implementation of personalized nursing care in order to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes.


DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-31986-0_39

Citations

Tsampoula, I., Zartaloudi, A., Dousis, E., Koutelekos, I., Pavlatou, N., Toulia, G., … & Polikandrioti, M. (2022, October). Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Medical Cannabis. In Worldwide Congress on “Genetics, Geriatrics and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research” (pp. 401-415). Cham: Springer International Publishing.