Development of the Quality of Diagnostic Radiology Laboratories in Hospitals, Ministry of Public Health, in Trang, Phatthalung, and Satun Provinces, Thailand

Abstract

         Developing the quality of diagnostic radiology laboratories is important to produce quality X-ray images for diagnosis and help patients receive the appropriate amount of radiation. Regional Medical Sciences Center 12/1 Trang, Department of Medical Sciences, has continuously developed the quality of diagnostic radiology laboratories in 28 hospitals under the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, in Trang, Phatthalung, and Satun provinces since 2015 using the Ministry of Public Health's Diagnostic Radiology Laboratory Standards. With the hospital network and the Provincial Public Health Office, radiology laboratory personnel have been trained, provided relevant knowledge, and conducted internal monitoring and evaluations. From March to September 2023, the quality development was evaluated according to the Ministry of Public Health's Diagnostic Radiology Laboratory Standards 2022. The results showed that most laboratories developed their quality according to the standard criteria, with an average score was as 82.9%. Among these 28 hospitals, 22 hospitals (78.6%) developed at the good-excellent level (score 70−100%), while 4 hospitals (14.3%) were at the fair level and needed improvement (score 50−69.9%) and 2 hospitals (7.1%) did not pass the criteria which needed urgent correction (< 50%). The Regional and General Hospitals scored higher than Community Hospitals, with average scores of 94.1 and 81.6%, respectively. The topics that gained the most development with scores higher than 90%, were the process of providing radiology services, equipment, premises and environment, and result reporting. The document control and safety topics received 80−90%, while those of personnel and quality assurance received 70−80%. The lowest scores were for organization and management, and internal auditing and evaluation with 69.6 and 62.5%, respectively. Thus, these issues should be further developed and improved.