Want to contribute to medical cannabis research in the UK?
6 min read
Lucy MacKinnon
When research papers say things like ‘1 in 5 MS patients have used cannabis to manage their symptoms’, have you ever wondered who these people actually are, or what their lives are like? Well, if you’re thinking of becoming a Releaf medical cannabis patient, you could be one of these people in the very near future!
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While medical cannabis was legalised in the UK back in 2018 for a long list of conditions when conventional treatments have failed, widespread acceptance and awareness of treatments still needs to improve.
One way to do this is by increasing the evidence base available, and so, in 2024 we launched a plan to contribute to this, to add to the existing evidence base for medical cannabis, and help to further research into the use of these treatments in various therapeutic applications.
How is Releaf investing in research?
We’ve previously written about the complexities involved in completing medical cannabis clinical trials because of their limited scope and robust structure requirements.
At the time, our Chief Medical Officer Graham Woodward commented:
“We need to spread accurate, and credible information about the benefits and limitations of medical cannabis to properly educate people on the matter. While there are a lot of complexities involved in using cannabis preparations in randomised controlled trials, we can pioneer with producing more and more observational data.”
And, we’re pleased to say, we will be implementing exactly this - but, we’re going to need your help!
At Releaf, we think patient reported data is truly invaluable. Whether you’re taking medical cannabis to manage chronic pain, anxiety, fibromyalgia, menopause or any other condition, your journey with medical cannabis is important to us - and we can learn from your experiences, and share these insights to help shape the future of healthcare here in the UK.
So, in the very near future we’ll be implementing disease specific questionnaires, such as the ISI (Insomnia Severity Index) into our patient platform to monitor treatment plans over the course of 12 months.
How will Releaf’s research initiative work?
At the moment, when Releaf patients enrol they complete an EQ-5D questionnaire that assesses their health across five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain and discomfort, and anxiety and depression.
This is done to give our practitioners a better understanding of a person’s day to day health, and in which areas they require more support, so they can keep this in mind when designing their treatment plan.
But, now, we’re going to go one step further.
At intake, as well as filling out the EQ-5D, patients will now also be invited to fill out a questionnaire that directly inquires about specific symptoms, challenges, or concerns relating to the condition they are seeking treatment for.
The patients who participate in our research initiative will be asked to fill out this survey, along with the EQ-5D, at 120 day intervals so that their progress can be tracked over a sustained period of time.
Which disease specific questionnaires will Releaf be gathering responses to?
The following condition specific questionnaires will be incorporated into Releaf’s patient portal:
- Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI)
- Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR)
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7)
- Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)
- Menopause Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL)
- Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29)
- Migraine Specific Quality of Life (MSQoL)
- Osteoarthritis Quality of Life Scale (OAQoL)
- Parkinson’s Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PDQL)
- Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
- Patient Weighted Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE-10-P)
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RAQoL)
- Restless Legs Syndrome Quality of Life Questionnire (RLSQoL)
- Short-from McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2)
Releaf medical cannabis prescriber Dr Hanna Gul, who has been intrinsic in the implementation of this project, explains:
“To ensure that the research is implemented correctly and in line with good clinical practice guidelines, we have been busy ensuring the necessary approvals are in place before disseminating the questionnaires. But, we’re almost at the finishing line with this.
Monitoring our patients’ progress against standardised surveys for their specific health concern will not only give us a wider idea of how these treatments affect a diverse population as opposed to the more specific patient cohorts involved in clinical trials, but also generate data that is comparable with those relating to traditional treatments for the same conditions.
We’d like to gather responses to these questionnaires at regular intervals so we can track long-term patient outcomes, and publish the evidence to guide and inform healthcare providers, policymakers, researchers, and prospective patients, so they can make well-informed decisions about medical cannabis.”
How you can help
If you are considering medical cannabis or starting a new, alternative treatment with Releaf, your involvement in this research would be invaluable in helping us to track the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis applications on specific symptoms and challenges across a wide range of diverse health conditions.
Your story, and your responses to these questionnaires, have the power to help others. Many in the UK are still unsure of whether medical cannabis may be right for them, and the limited evidence available often strengthens this apprehension - but, you could help change this.
By participating in these surveys, you can add to real-world insights that can shape the future of medical cannabis in the UK, improve patient care, and ultimately, health outcomes.
They will only take a few moments of your time to complete, but your contributions could make a difference that lasts a lifetime.
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It is important to seek medical advice before starting any new treatments. The patient advisors at Releaf are available to provide expert advice and support. Alternatively, click here to book a consultation with one of our specialist doctors.
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With five years of journalism and healthcare content creation under her belt, Lucy strives to improve medical cannabis awareness and access in the UK by producing high quality, credible content.
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