• S K Aggarwal, G T Carter, M D Sullivan, C Zumbrunnen, R Morrill, and J D Mayer.
• Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA. sunila@uw.edu
• Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2013 Sep 1;30(6):523-31.

ObjectivesTo characterize health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in medical cannabis patients.MethodsShort Form 36 (SF-36) Physical Health Component Score and Mental Health Component Score (MCS) surveys as well has CDC (Centers for Disease Control) HRQoL-14 surveys were completed by 37 qualified patients.ResultsMean SF-36 PCS and MCS, normalized at 50, were 37.4 and 44.2, respectively. Eighty percent of participants reported activity/functional limitations secondary to impairments or health problems. Patients reported using medical cannabis to treat a wide array of symptoms across multiple body systems with relief ratings consistently in the 7-10/10 range.ConclusionThe HRQoL results in this sample of medical cannabis-using patients are comparable with published norms in other chronically ill populations. Data presented provide insight into medical cannabis-using patients' self-rated health, HRQoL, disease incidences, and cannabis-related symptom relief.

29 keywords...

hide…