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Primary Submission Category: Health care/services

Prioritizing input from physicians to develop a cannabis education program for chronic pain management in primary care settings

Authors:  Sia Rajgarhia, Riley Wegryn – Jones, Arie Shaw, Bhaavna Yalavarthi, Catherine Klida, Vivian Kurtz, Kevin Boehnke, Amy Bohnert, Pooja Lagisetty, Rachel Bergmans,

Presenting Author: Sia Rajgarhia*

Background:  With cannabis legalization expanding in the U.S., interest in cannabis for chronic pain has grown. Our community-engaged research program focuses on cannabis therapies, particularly among Veterans who experience high rates of chronic pain. Many Veterans desire to receive guidance from healthcare providers. Yet, gaps in clinical care persist, especially concerning physician knowledge and biases. Primary care physicians (PCPs) face challenges accessing evidence-based data on cannabis, including potential benefits, safety, and interactions with other drugs. PCPs also grapple with limited time and insufficient guidance from health systems.

Aim:  We aimed to assess PCP perspectives on the development of an educational program about the evidence base of cannabis for chronic pain.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with PCPs who treat adults with chronic pain in Michigan to assess their preferences for  a cannabis education program (n=15). We used an adapted Rigorous and Accelerated Data Reduction technique to analyze the data and develop preliminary findings.

Results:  Participants were 33% men, 66% women, with an average age of 44 years. Analysis revealed five main themes: gaps in medical education, scientific justification for efficacy and safety, program convenience, adaptive delivery methods, and pragmatic implementation. We also noted that education programs should be efficient, accommodate varied schedules, and offer resources suited to PCP needs, such as recordings, live discussions and real-world examples.

Conclusions:  PCPs are interested in cannabis training for chronic pain management. The curriculum must clarify evidence sources and acknowledge persisting knowledge gaps for both patients and physicians. These findings lay the groundwork for developing and piloting a cannabis curriculum for PCPs, which will provide patients with the resources they need to make informed health decisions.