HIF is proud to support 
The Global QUEST Initiative

The Global QUEST Initiative is a quality of life study that is being conducted by researchers at Curtin University. This observational study is investigating quality of life and health economic impacts for Australians accessing medicinal cannabis in relation to a chronic disease.

QUEST is seeking eligible patients who are:

• 18+ years of age and living in Australia
• suffering from a chronic condition with symptoms that have lasted for three months or more
• eligible for medicinal cannabis as a form of treatment
• able to complete digital questionnaires in English
• able to provide informed consent
• have access to the internet or a smart phone and
• have not taken any type of prescription cannabis therapy for four weeks before enrolling in the study

Eligibility for this study and medicinal cannabis treatment will ultimately be determined by your consulting doctor based on your individual circumstances.  

Benefits for participants include:

• Discounted cost of medications from $110
• Access to a doctor who is experienced in prescribing medicinal cannabis 
• The opportunity to participate in a non-invasive, online study from the comfort of your home.

The Global QUEST Initiative will measure its participants outcomes through a series of online questionnaires. Participants will be required to complete questionnaires before starting medicinal cannabis treatment, two weeks after starting treatment, then every one to two months for up to one year.

Questionnaires, which take between 20-30 minutes, can be completed from home, or anywhere with an internet connection. As part of a normal treatment regime with medicinal cannabis, patients will need to consult their doctor periodically to discuss their results, receive additional scripts, and to ensure continuity of care.

Understanding that some patients may have mobility issues, The Global QUEST Initiative has worked with some participating doctors to offer telehealth appointments for patients, and medications for this trial will be sent directly to the patient's home.

The Global QUEST Initiative plans to be active for five years and participants can join the study for as long as it is running. Participation is voluntary and you can ‘opt-out’ at any time.

You will be required to pay for your own medication for the duration of the study. Medication will be available from The Global QUEST Initiative at a subsidised cost from $110 (including delivery fee).

HIF will pay a benefit towards the medicinal cannabis products that are part of the Global QUEST Initiative, if your Extras cover includes Pharmacy. 

Benefits are payable under your Pharmacy Limit and are subject to individual policy limits and waiting periods. 

Please refer to your policy factsheets for details on your eligibility and individual benefit.

You will be prompted to pay for the product before it is distributed. Payment can be made by credit or debit card over the phone.

Please note dosage requirements will be determined by your prescribing doctor and will differ from patient to patient.

Standard doctor consult fees also apply. When choosing a QUEST doctor you will be able to check their consult fees on the website’s doctor directory before booking a consult.

Patients accessing medicinal cannabis generally have a range of conditions and symptoms that impact their quality of life. While length of life is easy to measure, quality of life is more subjective, but it can be measured by asking patients questions about different aspects of their health such as their mobility, functionality, pain, discomfort, anxiety and depression.

This clinical study sets out to better understand and measure how these conditions and symptoms affect a patient’s quality of life over time while they are accessing medicinal cannabis as a treatment option and will do so through online questionnaires.

To enrol in the study follow these three easy steps:

1. Check your potential eligibility (take the 60 second screening survey online)
2. Register your interest
3. Book an appointment with a recruited QUEST doctor or request your usual doctor to become a part of the Global QUEST initiative.

After your doctor confirms you are eligible you will receive a study invitation by email.

For more information or to start your QUEST please click here

An explanatory video is available on the Patients page here

Frequently asked questions can be found here

HIF will pay a benefit towards medicinal cannabis products if your Extras cover includes Pharmacy. The benefits are payable from 9 September 2020.

Benefits are payable under your Pharmacy Limit and are subject to individual policy limits and waiting periods. 

Please refer to your policy factsheets for details on your eligibility and individual benefit.