Networking is a concept we are all familiar with. Most of us understand it in a professional sense. But many of us also network in other areas. Healthcare is one such area. People living with the same condition often network together. This raises the question whether networking can be of any benefit to medical cannabis patients.
Already Plenty of Clinical Help
Your average medical cannabis patient works with three types of professionals to ensure maximum benefit from his medicines. Those three professionals are a medical provider (doctor, nurse practitioner, etc.), pharmacist, and pharmacy technician. Medical providers and pharmacists offer the clinical advice patients need. Pharmacy techs assist with the practical aspects of purchasing cannabis medicines.
It is clear that there is already plenty of clinical help available to medical cannabis patients. And yet, networking is still valid. I am willing to bet that any patient who has committed to networking within the medical cannabis community would highly recommend it to others.
5 Ways Networking Can Benefit Patients
Networking is all about connecting with people for the purposes of mutual benefit. In a business environment, networking people benefit from vendors, consultants, and their peers in similar jobs. But what about medical cannabis patients? Here are five ways networking can benefit them:
1. Practical Advice
Networking gives medical cannabis patients access to practical advice. Something as simple as renewing a medical cannabis card could seem scary to someone who has never done it before. But networking can ease patient fears. BeehiveMed, a Utah medical cannabis card organization based in Salt Lake City, says both individual patients and local advocacy groups are great sources of information regarding medical cannabis cards.
Patients can also gain access to practical advice about medical cannabis delivery methods, layering, how to use different devices, and so forth. Real patients offer real advice that is generally not available from clinicians who have never used medical cannabis themselves.
2. Emotional Support
Alongside practical advice, networking can be a good source of emotional support. Patients connecting with other patients support one another through good times and bad. Networking can help combat isolation, build self confidence, and help patients deal with the stigma that often comes with medical cannons consumption.
3. Up-to-Date Information
Networking within the context of local advocacy groups benefits patients by keeping them informed. The most up-to-date information on everything from new products to legislation to medical research is out there for the taking. Advocacy groups are known to aggregate such information so that it is easily available to their members.
4. Legal Advocacy
Local advocacy groups are often involved in the legal side of things, too. They advocate on behalf of patients to protect their rights, get new legislation introduced, and modify existing legislation. Networking within this realm gives patients access to advocates who care about their rights. Patients also have an opportunity to get more politically involved themselves.
5. Peer Support
Last but not least is peer support. Networking with peers is linked to increased treatment engagement across all sorts of medical conditions and treatment options. It applies to medical cannabis as well. Networking with peers tends to reduce risky behaviors – including using cannabis outside of the guidelines established by a patient’s doctor or pharmacist.
We already know how important networking is in the professional world. We have seen it play a vital role in healthcare when patients living with the same condition network with one another. Therefore, it is no stretch to say that networking can benefit medical cannabis patients as well. Networking should be on every patient’s to-do list. More importantly, clinicians should encourage it.