Publication Detail

Butt, J., C., Wilkes, E., T. and Gray, D. (2011). The preliminary validity and utility of assessing staff attitudes to working with cannabis related harms in Indigenous primary health care settings. Drug and Alcohol Review (S.1 ed), 30, pp. 16-17. [RJ821]

Issues: Cannabis use has been increasing in Indigenous communities and cannabis related harms are becoming more frequently observed in Indigenous primary health care (PHC) settings. To address cannabis use in PHC, a current project, Could it be the gunja? is aiming to introduce cannabis screening and brief intervention (SBI). SBI has been introduced in Indigenous PHC to address a range of issues, however there is often limited uptake of these programs. One of the factors which may influence the uptake of SBI is attitudes of health care staff. Being able to identify attitudes related to working with cannabis use may help improve strategies to implement cannabis SBI, and thus client services.

Approach: The aim of the present study was to investigate the validity and utility of a questionnaire assessing attitudes to addressing clients’ cannabis use. To date the questionnaire has been completed by 110 primary health care workers across four sites, with a further two sites to be collected. Participants to date include GPs, nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers.

Implications: Initial results using factor analysis support a four factor model of attitudes: knowledge and skills, role validity, role support and comfort, which accounts for 62% of variance. The presentation will report a final factor structure, and outcomes of regression analyses examining if different attitudes predict different aspects of cannabis related clinical activity.

Conclusion: This research may provide useful information that can assist workplaces effectively identify barriers to commencing cannabis SBI and develop training and support to overcome these barriers.

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