Education on Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome To Improve Psychiatric Provider Knowledge

Abstract

Background: Cannabis use has increased significantly in recent decades. Patients may develop cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) after months or years of sustained heavy cannabis consumption, which is characterized by cyclical nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Providers are frequently unaware of this condition and would benefit from education to improve their knowledge and ability to care for patients who develop it. Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to increase objective knowledge about thecause, symptoms, signs, and management of CHS through a one-page electronic handout for psychiatric providers at El Rio Cherrybell. This project also sought to learn whether the educational intervention increased provider comfort in discussing CHS, familiarity, and confidence in its assessment and management. Methods: Participants were emailed an educational handout on CHS, which utilized Information Processing Theory (IPT) in its design. Within the same email, the project coordinator provided pre-testing and post-testing links to assess provider baseline knowledge and subjective confidence on the topic and how it changes after reading the one-page document. Results: Out of four providers contacted via email, two participated and completed all testing asynchronously. The project coordinator found that the providers were already familiar with the topic, as the aggregated correct response rate was 83% on pre-testing. On post-testing, the aggregated correct response rate increased to 100%. Using a Likert-like scale that ranged from one to five, with one indicating strongly disagree and five indicating strongly agree, the project coordinator found that the average response to the question, “I am familiar with CHS and am comfortable discussing it with patients,” increased from 4.5 to 5, and for the question, “I am confident in assessing and treating patients with CHS,” the average response increased from 4 to 4.5. Conclusions: Providing an educational handout to psychiatric providers increased objectiveknowledge regarding CHS, their self-perceived familiarity with the topic, their comfort in discussing it with patients, and their confidence in assessing and managing it.