Factors Associated With Need for Medical Cannabis Use Among Palliative Cancer Patients in UdonThani Hospital.

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional analytical study was to study the factors associated with need for medical cannabis use by palliative cancer patients in UdonThani hospital, aged 18 and over, sample amount 201 cases. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires, comprised of 6 parts: 1) a personal information, 2) a social support, and 3) attitude toward the use of medical cannabis. 4) knowledge on the use of medical cannabis 5) literacy on  medical cannabis use, and 6) need for medical cannabis use of palliative cancer patients. Data were analyzed with frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to analyzed       factors related to the need for medical cannabis use.

Analysis of 201 patients showed that 54.2% was female, the average age was 50.5 ± 15.3 years old. Need for medical cannabis use was in 84 patients (41.8%). Factors associated with the need for medical cannabis use among palliative cancer patients in Udon Thani hospital were 1) good attitudes toward medical cannabis use (OR_adj=4.3, 95%CI: 1.8–10.5, p= 0.001), 2) adequate to excellence knowledge on medical cannabis use (OR_adj=3.8, 95%CI: 1.7–8.4, p= 0.001), and 3) treatment response to modern methods (OR_adj =2.4, 95%CI: 1.1-5.4, p= 0.004), respectively.