ASPO Abstracts
Symptom management in medical populations: Addressing a critical issue in healthcare
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2019
Abstract Body:
Purpose of the study: The recent policy and social norms shifts related to marijuana use provide a critical time for understanding how patient populations may be using marijuana for medicinal purposes. Moreover, recent literature has indicated that medicinal marijuana legislation may also have implications for opioid use and misuse, particularly relevant for individuals with medical problems that may have involved symptoms appropriately addressed with use of certain opioids. Thus, this study aimed to examine intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community-level factors related to use/misuse of marijuana and/or opioids among two highly relevant patient populations — people living with HIV (PLWH) and cancer survivors across the United States.Methods: Five hundred and eight (18 - 60 years old) PLWH and/or cancer survivors (within six months of completing chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery) residing in the United States were recruited via social media (specifically on Facebook and Reddit) ads between June and July, 2018. Eligible participants completed a one-time online survey hosted by surveygizmo. Results: The mean age of participants was 34.25 years (SD= 9.39; range 18-60); 52.2% were male, 26.8% Hispanic, and 41.1% racial minority (22.6% Black). Participants represented 42 states. Overall, 61.6% were PLWH, and 39.6% were cancer survivors. Among the participants, 28.7% reported using marijuana since their diagnosis, and 13.4% reported using opioids since their diagnosis. Among users of opioids since their diagnosis, 19.2% reported using it as prescribed by a doctor and 21.9% reported using it to treat pain despite it not being prescribed by a doctor. Among users of marijuana since their diagnosis, 63% reported having used marijuana on a monthly basis compared to 18.5% average monthly use before their diagnosis. Differences in use, reasons for use, and patterns of use existed between the two clinical populations in relation to both marijuana and opioids. Less than a quarter of participants had a medicinal marijuana card. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need to understand patients’ understanding of the use of these drugs to address symptoms and to address the needs of patients in symptom management.
Keywords: Pain medications, Medicinal marijuana,Pain management, Opioids