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If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. We investigated attitudes and practices of healthcare professionals HCPs to medicinal cannabis MC and complementary and integrative medicine CIM , including individual therapies, such as acupuncture, massage, herbs, dietary supplements, nutrition and exercise. We explored whether healthcare occupation influenced attitudes to CIM and MC; referral pathways for advice on CIM; and interest in a pharmacy service to evaluate herbs and supplements.
Cross-sectional survey. All clinical staff at a comprehensive cancer hospital were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire about CIM and MC. Most respondents believed that CIM Whilst just over half Most felt they did not have sufficient knowledge to specifically discuss mind and body practices Occupation, length of time at hospital and age influenced confidence and knowledge about CIM.
The integration of evidence-based CIM and MC into cancer care is hampered by a lack of knowledge of benefits and contraindications, and gaps in education. Effective and safe integration may require targeted development of services such as pharmacy to evaluate the safety of herbs and supplements, and inclusion of cancer specialists who have received training in individual CIM therapies and MC.
Awareness of complementary and integrative medicine CIM and the prescription of medicinal cannabis MC amongst healthcare professionals HCPs is important for safe and effective clinical care of people affected by cancer.
