Comparison of Medical Cannabis Use Reported on a Confidential Survey vs Documented in the Electronic Health Record Among Primary Care Patients

Source:

Lapham GT, Matson TE, Carrell DS, et al. Comparison of Medical Cannabis Use Reported on a Confidential Survey vs Documented in the Electronic Health Record Among Primary Care Patients. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(5):e2211677. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.11677

Key Points

Question  What is the prevalence of patient-reported explicit (ie, medical use) and implicit (ie, health reasons for use) medical cannabis use, and how does electronic health record documentation compare with patient report of medical use?

Findings  In this survey study, among 1688 primary care patients, 26.5% reported explicit and 35.1% reported implicit medical use of cannabis. The prevalence of medical use documented in the electronic health record was 4.8%, missing most medical cannabis use reported by patients.

Meaning  These findings suggest that asking about use of cannabis for managing pain, sleep, mood, or other health concerns may increase recognition and documentation of medical cannabis use.