Improving Provider Understanding of the Effects of Marijuana on Adolescent Mental Health

Abstract

PURPOSE: Considering the harms cannabis use can pose to mental health, and the lack of provider education on the topic, this project aimed to improve knowledge of the dangers marijuana use poses to mental health among providers in one outpatient psychiatric clinic setting to increase their readiness for and confidence in discussing the dangers marijuana use poses to mental illness with their patients. METHODS: The implementation of this project took place virtually; participants filled out an 18 question pre-assessment, watched a video, then took an 22 question post assessment. The 10 minute video discussed the impacts of marijuana on mental health with a focus on the teenage population. The pre- and post-assessments measured provider confidence in the subject matter and provider understanding of the content. The data was stored on a password-protected Excel sheet and was de-identified, and then the data was then analyzed and reported to Columbia Associates. RESULTS: Out of a possible 38 providers project participation was offered to 11 participated. Overall I saw increases in not only the participants competence and their reported confidence in the content. While all eight of the Likert scale questions showed improvement, of the ten content questions five showed improvement, four showed no change, and one showed a decrease, with an overall average improvement in knowledge being 5.5% from the pre-assessment to the post-assessment. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The framework for this project was inspired by an existing educational program created for psychiatry residents to improve their understanding of marijuana’s effects on mental health. This project demonstrated that providers can improve their knowledge of and confidence discussing the dangers marijuana poses to mental health with patients through a brief intervention, and that these improvements can be demonstrated through pre- and post-assessments.