Effectiveness of the synthetic cannabinoids seminar

OBJECTIVES: Synthetic cannabinoid or “Bonzai” use is a public health issue as its use has increased in Turkey as well as all over the world. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the “Synthetic Cannabinoids Seminar” that was provided to physicians who work in emergency services, using multiple choice questionnaires before and after the seminar as a tool for evaluation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Synthetic cannabinoids seminars were provided to physicians who work in emergency services in two different cities, with the participation of 20 physicians in each scheduled seminar. The seminars were instructed by emergency medicine specialists and psychiatrists who were certified as an instructor by the Turkish Ministry of Health, after receiving an instructor course in synthetic cannabinoids. In order to measure basal knowledge levels of the participants, a pretest was performed for all participants before the seminar. After the seminar, a posttest was performed using the same questions in the pretest. The number of correct answers in both tests was then compared. RESULTS: In total, 85 individuals attended the seminars; 29 individuals from Dumlupınar University Evliya Çelebi Training and Research Hospital constituted first group, and 56 individuals from Denizli State Hospital constituted second group. In both groups, the ratios of correct answers in the posttest were determined to be higher when compared to the pretest. CONCLUSION: The seminars on synthetic cannabinoids are useful and necessary for physicians.