A Study on the Implementation of Drug Safety Standards in Community Hospitals in Surat Thani Province

Abstract

Abstract

This descriptive research aimed to study the implementation of drug safety standards in community hospitals in Surat Thani Province. The provincial drug safety standards assessment team conducted on-site evaluations of all 19 community hospitals during 2023-2024. The assessment tool used was the 4-dimensional drug safety standards evaluation form (15 topics), comprising: pharmaceutical system management dimension, pharmaceutical service and care dimension, drug system management dimension, and drug and medical supply management dimension. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Paired t-test). Results: Community hospitals in Surat Thani Province demonstrated significant improvement in drug safety standards implementation. The mean total assessment score increased from 44.95 ± 6.45 to 51.08 ± 7.54 points (p < 0.001), and the mean standard level increased from 3.27 ± 0.46 to 3.47 ± 0.51 (p < 0.001). For the pharmaceutical system management dimension in 2024, all hospitals met the criteria in 3 out of 4 topics, except for personnel competency development (89.47%). For the pharmaceutical service and care dimension in 2024, all hospitals met the criteria in all areas, including outpatient and inpatient drug dispensing services. Regarding the drug system management dimension, primary care pharmacy operations faced limitations due to the transfer of sub-district health promoting hospitals to provincial administrative organizations, preventing some hospitals from fully implementing requirements. For the drug and medical supply management dimension, drug production and preparation was not a mandatory criterion in 2023. In 2024, all hospitals were required to be assessed according to their capacity, resulting in some hospitals not meeting the criteria due to facility limitations. Community hospitals in Surat Thani Province showed significant improvement in drug safety standards implementation, with continued development needed in personnel competency, primary care pharmacy operations, and drug production facilities.