Emergency physicians' knowledge of cannabinoid designer drugs

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Toxicology
• Public Health

Background:

• Synthetic drug use is increasing in the US.
• Physician knowledge and management of synthetic drug use are poorly understood.
• Synthetic cannabinoids (SC) pose a growing challenge in emergency medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess emergency physician (EP) knowledge of synthetic cannabinoids (SC).
• To evaluate EPs' familiarity with common SC street names like "Spice" or "K2".
• To describe current practice patterns for managing SC intoxication.

Main Methods:

• An internet-based survey was administered to resident and attending EPs.
• The survey assessed familiarity with SC terms and basic knowledge.
• It also explored practice patterns in managing SC intoxication.

Main Results:

• Only 34% knew "Spice" and 49% knew "K2" as SC terms.
• Most SC knowledge (72%) came from non-medical sources like the internet.
• 80% of EPs felt unprepared to manage SC intoxication.
• Even physicians aware of SC showed gaps in knowledge regarding their synthetic nature and chemical similarity to marijuana.

Conclusions:

• Clinically active EPs demonstrate significant unfamiliarity with synthetic cannabinoids.
• Existing knowledge gaps persist even among those who have heard of SC.
• There is a critical need for enhanced education on synthetic cannabinoids for EPs of all training levels.