Region 11 Medical Journal

The Development of a Barcode Scanning System for Recording the Processing Status of Drug Procurement Suratthani Hospital

2025-01-26T18:46:41+07:00

Background: The medical supplies warehouse at Suratthani Hospital has implemented a barcode scanning system to record timestamps and track the status of operational processes. The system encompasses eight main steps, starting from issuing purchase orders and receiving drugs to the final step of submitting documents to the finance department. The data collected can be utilized for analysis and workflow improvements.

Objectives: To study operational statuses and enhance workflow processes by utilizing a barcode scanning system to record timestamps and operational statuses.

Methods: The study sample consisted of drug purchase orders issued between May 1–June 30, 2023, and August 1–September 30, 2023. A barcode scanning system was used to record timestamps across eight main operational steps. The study was conducted in three phases: Phase 1: Pre-improvement, Phase 2: Problem analysis and process improvement using Lean thinking, and Phase 3: Post-improvement. This action research compared the time required before and after process improvements. The tools used included the Barcode scanning system and the INVC drug procurement program, which recorded timestamps by scanning barcodes on purchase orders. Data analysis was performed using content analysis and t-test statistics.

Results: The time required for each step in the workflow was reduced 35 days. Overall, the duration of the drug procurement process after system development was significantly lower than before, with statistical significance at the level of P < .01.

Conclusion: After developing the eight steps drug procurement system using Lean thinking and implementing a Barcode scanning system to record operational statuses, the overall duration of the drug procurement process was found to be significantly shorter compared to the pre-development phase, with statistical significance.

Effective of using guidelines for the discharge of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in the male medical ward. Kanchanadit Hospital. Surat Thani Province

2025-02-03T13:44:06+07:00

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a major public health problem in Thailand and around the world. The World Health Organization states that for every 64 million people in the world, more than 3 million people will die from COPD. In Thailand, between 2015-2017, the number of people with COPD has been increasing every year. In Health Service Area 11, the rate of COPD in 2023 was 14,584. Kanchanadit Hospital is a 120-bed community hospital with a male medical ward. Statistics of COPD patients in 2021-2023 were 301, 241, and 254, respectively. The re-admission rate in 2021-2023 was 13.95, 12.03, and 18.11 percent, respectively, which tends to increase. It was found that there was an exacerbation of the disease. Patients lacked knowledge, misbehaved, and were unable to control risk factors for the disease. Therefore, it was related to the increase in the hospitalization rate. Increased hospital stays, increased financial burden, more severe complications, and re-admittance. The word therefore recognizes the importance of discharge planning for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: To study the effectiveness of using discharge planning guidelines for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease between the experimental and control groups.

Methods: Quasi-experimental research. The sample consisted of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who admitted to the male medical ward. A purposive sample of 60 cases was included into a control group 30 cases and experimental group of 30 cases. The instruments used for data collection were questionnaires to measure knowledge, behavior, and satisfaction. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test.

Results: It was found that the experimental group had a significantly higher mean score of knowledge and behavior difference than the control group (p < 0.05). Satisfaction with the guidelines was at a high level, readmission rate was lower than the control group, and the mean satisfaction score was at a high level.

Conclusions: Discharge planning guidelines for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease help promote patients’ knowledge, appropriate behaviors, and reduce the number of readmitted.

Factors related to Burnout and Resilience among personnel at Patong Hospital, Phuket Province.

2025-03-05T11:14:16+07:00

Background: Burnout is a significant issue among healthcare professionals, affecting work performance and the quality of patient care. Resilience is a key factor in preventing and reducing the risk of burnout.

Objectives: To study burnout, resilience and the factors related with burnout and resilience among personnel at Patong Hospital, Phuket Province.

Method: This is a cross-sectional analytic study. Data was collected using an online questionnaire, which comprised of a general information form, Resilience Quotient (RQ) and a burnout assessment. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, whereas the relationships between variables were examined using Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient.

Results: The majority (55.8%) of personnel demonstrated normal levels of resilience. Factors related to resilience included education level, income, perceived value of work, relationships with colleagues, compensation relative to workload, and perceived support from management. Among the participants, 44.9% had low levels of burnout. Specifically, 75.1% experienced low emotional exhaustion, 60.8% had low depersonalization, and 84.2% reported a high sense of personal accomplishment. Factors related to burnout included age, length of employment in the hospital, income, perceived value of work, relationships with colleagues, compensation relative to workload, and perceived support from management. Resilience was identified as a protective factor against burnout in all three dimensions.

Conclusion: Personnel at Patong Hospital exhibit low levels of burnout, with resilience within the normal range. Both individual and organizational factors are associated with burnout and resilience. The hospital should implement measures to prevent burnout and enhance resilience.