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"We want what's best for patients." nurse leaders' attitudes about medical cannabis: A qualitative study
Ellen T Kurtzman1, Jessica Greene2, Robyn Begley3
1Associate Professor, School of Nursing, The George Washington University, 1919 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Ste. 500, Washington, DC 20006, U.S.
Background:
The majority of states have legalized medical cannabis. Nurse leaders must be prepared for an increase in patients' use of the drug across all care settings.
Objectives:
To explore nurse leaders' attitudes towards, knowledge of, and experiences with medical cannabis.
Design:
: Descriptive qualitative study design.
Participants:
28 nurse leaders-19 in four focus groups of 3-7 participants and another 9 in interviews.
Methods:
Semi-structured, one-on-one interviews and focus groups of nurse leaders about their attitudes towards and experiences with patients' use of medical cannabis. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and subthemes.
Results:
Four major themes were identified: overwhelming support for legalized medical cannabis; importance of overcoming the stereotype of a gateway drug; problematic mismatch between federal and state cannabis policies; and nursing needs to be move involved.
Conclusions:
There was strong support for legalized medical cannabis to meet patients' needs; yet, respondents reported little discussion about or education regarding medical cannabis among nurses. Inconsistent federal and state cannabis policies were viewed as especially problematic and in need of alignment.
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