Factors Related to Health Literacy in Medical Cannabis Use Among Nurses Working in Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospitals, Nakhon Pathom Province
Keywords:
Health literacy, Medical cannabis, Sub-district health promoting hospitals, NursesAbstract
Medical cannabis has been widely adopted for alleviating patient symptoms. This correlational descriptive study aimed to examine health literacy regarding medical cannabis use and its associated factors among nurses working in sub-district health promoting hospitals. The participants were 115 professional nurses employed at sub-district health promoting hospitals in Nakhon Pathom Province. Data were collected using a self-administered online questionnaire via Google Forms, which included personal information, attitudes toward medical cannabis use, significant others’ acceptance of medical cannabis use, perception of cannabis policies and regulations, and health literacy regarding medical cannabis use. The content validity and reliability of the research instruments were approved. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used for data analysis.
The study found that the overall health literacy of the participants in medical cannabis use was at a satisfactory level. Factors significantly associated with medical cannabis use included attitudes toward the use of medical cannabis (r = .356, p < .001), acceptance of medical cannabis use by significant others (r = .290, p = .002), perception of cannabis policies and regulations (r = .272, p = .003), and work experience (r = -.266, p = .004).
These findings provide guidance for enhancing medical cannabis health literacy among healthcare personnel, emphasizing activities that focus on promoting positive attitudes toward medical cannabis use and improving understanding of cannabis policies and regulations, alongside support from family members and peers.
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