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Worldwide Congress on “Genetics, Geriatrics and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research"

GeNeDis 2022: GeNeDis 2022 pp 401–415Cite as

Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Medical Cannabis

Part of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series (AEMB,volume 1425)

Abstract

Introduction: Medical cannabis has been used to relieve the symptoms of people with various chronic diseases. Despite of this, it has been stigmatized, even after its legalization in many countries. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of life of patients receiving medical cannabis. Material and method: One hundred patients receiving medical cannabis were given (a) a socio-demographic and clinical questionnaire, and (b) the SF-36 Health Survey scale for assessing quality of life. Results: The majority of our patients who received medical cannabis to treat their neurological disorders (58%) reported decrease in their symptoms (96%), better energy and vitality (68%), ability to perform their professional duties (88%), and an improvement in sleeping and appetite (79% and 71%, respectively) after receiving medical cannabis. Our participants exhibited very few restrictions in activities due to emotional difficulties, a moderate general health status as well as moderate vitality and energy. Participants, who reported a longer period of receiving medical cannabis, reported statistically significant more energy and vitality (p = 0.000), but also better mental (p = 0.000) and general health status (p = 0.001). Furthermore, the majority of patients have disclosed medical cannabis use to their family members (85%) and enjoyed their support (93%), but they haven’t revealed their medication treatment to their social environment (81%). Conclusions: Appropriate knowledge could significantly help health professionals in the field of planning and implementation of personalized nursing care in order to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes.

Keywords

  • Medical cannabis
  • Quality of life
  • SF-36

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nursing, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece

    Iliana Tsampoula, Afroditi Zartaloudi, Evangelos Dousis, Ioannis Koutelekos, Niki Pavlatou, Georgia Toulia, Antonia Kalogianni & Maria Polikandrioti

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  1. Iliana Tsampoula
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  2. Afroditi Zartaloudi
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  3. Evangelos Dousis
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  4. Ioannis Koutelekos
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  5. Niki Pavlatou
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  6. Georgia Toulia
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  7. Antonia Kalogianni
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  8. Maria Polikandrioti
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Correspondence to Afroditi Zartaloudi .

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  1. Department of Informatics, Ionian University, Corfu, Greece

    Panagiotis Vlamos

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Tsampoula, I. et al. (2023). Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Medical Cannabis. In: Vlamos, P. (eds) GeNeDis 2022. GeNeDis 2022. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1425. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31986-0_39

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