Medicinal Cannabis Prescription Before an Inpatient Psychiatric Admission: A Retrospective Observational Audit.
| Journal | Journal of psychiatric practice |
| Study Type | Observational Study |
| Population | Human participants |
This item covers developments relevant to cannabis medicine and clinical practice. Clinicians monitoring evidence in this area should review the source material.
Prescribing of medicinal cannabis has expanded in Australia; however, evidence for benefit in psychiatric populations is limited. The goal of this study was to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of recent medicinal cannabis prescribing among psychiatric inpatients and to describe presentations associated with these admissions. We conducted a retrospective observational audit of adult patients admitted to a large metropolitan adult acute psychiatric unit in Brisbane, Australia, between September 2021 and October 2023. Electronic medical records were reviewed to identify medicinal cannabis prescriptions in the 90 days before admission. Information concerning demographics, indications, formulation, labeled potency, dispensing frequency, presentations, and length of stay were extracted for patients who had received such prescriptions. Of the 752 patients who were screened, 35 patients (4.7%) were prescribed medicinal cannabis in the 90 days before admission. Most of the patients (
“This is a development worth tracking. The clinical implications will become clearer as more evidence accumulates.”
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FAQ
How many psychiatric inpatients had a recent medicinal cannabis prescription?
Of 752 patients screened, 35, or 4.7%, had been prescribed medicinal cannabis in the 90 days before admission. The audit covered adults admitted to a large metropolitan adult acute psychiatric unit in Brisbane, Australia, between September 2021 and October 2023, and researchers reviewed electronic medical records to identify these prescriptions.
What details about cannabis prescriptions did the audit collect?
For patients who had received a medicinal cannabis prescription, researchers extracted information on demographics, indications, formulation, labeled potency, and dispensing frequency. They also recorded the presentations associated with these admissions and each patient’s length of stay.
Is there strong evidence that medicinal cannabis benefits psychiatric patients?
No. The summary notes that prescribing of medicinal cannabis has expanded in Australia, but evidence for benefit in psychiatric populations is limited. This audit was designed to estimate how common recent prescribing was among psychiatric inpatients and to describe related presentations, not to test whether cannabis helps or harms.
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