Medicinal Cannabis

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

There are a broad range of chronic conditions and diseases which can be treated using medicinal cannabis including chronic pain, cancer related symptoms, neuropathic pain, insomnia, anxiety, MS and epilepsy.

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 for up to 12 months
  - $150 per 50mL bottle plus $15 delivery fee.
• Access to a doctor who is experienced in prescribing medicinal cannabis
  (if a QUEST enrolled doctor is chosen) or assistance in enrolling your doctor in QUEST (if your doctor is willing to participate)
• The opportunity to participate in a non-invasive, online study from the comfort of your home

The 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 10-30 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 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.

Participants can join the study for up to 12-months.

Participation is voluntary and individuals can ‘opt-out’ at any time.

Participants will be required to pay for their own medication for the duration of the study. Medication will be available at a subsidised cost of only $150 per 50mL bottle plus a delivery fee of $15*.

HIF members can also access an $80 rebate under Pharmacy Drugs on all Extras policies, excluding Vital Options.

You will be prompted to pay for the product before it is distributed. Payment can be made by credit or debit card via a secure payment gateway.

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

Standard doctor consult fees also apply. If you choose to visit 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.

Enrol in the study in 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 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