Jennifer Attonito
Florida Atlantic University
Co-authors: Katherine Freeman1, Ximena Levy1, George Luck1, Bernardo Reyes11, Melanie Bone1,2
1Florida Atlantic University 2Dr. Melanie Bone
Objective: to evaluate administrators’ and clinicians’ knowledge of, attitudes about, and barriers to medical marijuana (MMJ) utilization in Florida’s long-term care settings.
Methods: A survey was developed, peer reviewed, and delivered to clinicians and administrators in nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout the state mainly via email. From November 2021 through February 2022, data on respondents’ age, sex, race/ethnicity, and title, as well as type and size of facility were collected. Questions were grouped to reflect 1) attitudes; 2) knowledge; 3) barriers. Frequencies of respondent characteristics were described, and correlations were calculated between factors.
Results: During this period, 117 responses were collected: 21.1% were physicians, 36.8% were nurses, and 42.1% were other professionals; 52% reported having an administrative role. The mean age of respondents was 47.2 years (SD=13.5); 74.4% identified as female, with 5.4% identifying as Black or African American and 73% as Caucasian/White. Regarding ethnicity, 17.6% identified as Hispanic, Spanish or Latinx. About half of the facilities had under 150 beds, with the median number of residents at 150. Significant (p<0.05) correlations were found between belief that MMJ is a viable therapy and a) having received adequate training on MMJ, b) understanding differences between MMJ and CBD, c) awareness of different routes of MMJ administration and d) knowing how to obtain an MMJ card in FL. Older respondents were more likely to indicate that MMJ was not helpful for managing certain symptoms (e.g. insomnia). Females were more likely to have reported receiving inadequate MMJ training and inexperience discussing MMJ with patients; however, males were more likely to disagree that healthcare professionals should receive MMJ training. Latinx respondents were more likely to disagree that providers should recommend MMJ for some conditions and that MMJ could have concerning interactions with other therapies. The most frequently selected barriers to recommending MMJ for patients were not having enough training and lack of clinical guidelines.
Conclusion: These observations indicate substantial need for training and clinical guidelines for clinicians in residential, long-term care in Florida. Given the prevalence of symptoms known to respond to MMJ among older adults,1-3 facilitating access to MMJ would be helpful.