During a recent visit to my doctor, treatment plan adherence came up for discussion. My doctor briefly mentioned her frustration with patients who come to her for help and then do not adhere to the treatment plans she recommends. Afterward, I began wondering how her frustration might apply in a medical cannabis scenario.
I wondered if there is any such thing as a treatment plan in the medical cannabis environment. And if there is, how many patients actually adhere to it? These are questions I will probably never have solid answers to. Nonetheless, my curiosity is piqued.
Treatment Plan Basics
In a traditional medical setting, a treatment plan includes all of the various therapies and strategies a doctor recommends to improve a patient’s health. Imagine an osteoarthritis patient dealing with chronic pain. His treatment plan might include:
- Prescription pain medication
- Occasional physical therapy
- Regular exercise
- Dietary changes
- A change of sleep habits
What if the patient takes his pain medication and attends physical therapy, but ignores the advice to exercise, change his diet, and adjust his sleep habits? Maybe the medications and physical therapy will be enough to provide sufficient relief. But maybe not.
One thing is for sure: his doctor will not be too thrilled to learn that he has only adhered to the first two points of the plan. The doctor might choose to say nothing. Yet in his mind, he is likely to wonder why the patient didn’t stick with the entire plan.
Differences With Medical Cannabis
I can imagine doctors willing to recommend medical cannabis also coming up with treatment plans for their patients. After all, that’s what doctors do. But I can also see things going the other way. A lack of knowledge regarding cannabis is the main reason.
Doctors do not study the human endocannabinoid system in medical school. Therefore, a lack of additional training limits their body of knowledge about medical cannabis and how it impacts human health. Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot of clinical evidence they can rely on to inform their decisions. They are left to guess.
Perhaps a doctor is not the most qualified person to come up with a medical cannabis treatment plan. Perhaps that task is best left to a pharmacist.
A Pharmacist With Cannabis Knowledge
Your average pharmacist knows more about the endocannabinoid system than his medical doctor counterpart. But we can go one better. In Utah, medical cannabis pharmacies are required to employ state-licensed pharmacists with additional training in cannabis.
According to the operators of Salt Lake City’s Beehive Farmacy, these pharmacists are available to answer questions and offer qualified advice. Their additional training makes them the most competent medical professionals for working with patients on a treatment plan.
On the other hand, a pharmacist may not be fully informed of a patient’s entire health history in current condition. But perhaps consulting with the patient’s doctor would solve that problem. Doctor and pharmacist together could come up with a competent treatment plan.
The Patient’s Role
The wild card in all of this is the patient himself. When push comes to shove, he ultimately makes the decision about whether or not to adhere to the treatment plan. Because so much about medical cannabis therapy is left to trial and error, I suspect a lot of patients don’t stick with their plans. That’s just the nature of the beast.
Treatment plans are somewhat different in the medical cannabis arena. So much so that I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they don’t mean much to patients – if doctors and pharmacists offer them at all.