Operational Model for Implementing Medication Safety Standards in Community Hospitals in Songkhla Province

Abstract

This research and development aimed to determine problem situations, needs, to create model and to examine effectiveness of operational model for implementing medication safety standards in community hospitals in Songkhla province. Implementation had 3 phases. Phase 1 was a study of problem and need of implementation from sample of 80 pharmacists. Instrument was open-ended questionnaire. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Phase 2 was model creation by using information from phase 1. Phase 3 was evaluation of effectiveness of model by using methodology of quasi experimental research with one group pretest and posttest design. Sample were 15 community hospitals in Songkhla province. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed ranks test. Research results were found as follows; 1) Problem situation of implementation of medication safety standards included discontinuous policy implementation and monitoring, insufficient budget, lack of multidisciplinary collaboration, inadequate staffing, problem of drug shortages, lack of manuals and medication safety practice guideline, lack of information linkage, lack of prescription error surveillance system. Needs of implementation of medication safety standards included establishment of pharmaceutical distribution center, establishment of provincial commission, innovation, staffing, supervision system, personnel competency development, budget allocation, technology system, documentary workload reduction, study visits and knowledge sharing and counseling system. 2) Operational model for implementing medication safety standards in community hospitals in Songkhla province was 5C3SDT including 1) setting implementation committee, 2) setting implementation calendar, 3) building channel of coordination, 4) choosing hospital model, 5) building clear criterion, 6) developing counseling system, 7) setting supervision committee, 8) setting sharing forum, 9) developing personnel and inventory management system of sub-district health promoting hospitals, 10) using technology for implementation and 11) inventing innovation. 3) After using a model, score of medication safety standards was significantly higher than before (p=.001). Therefore, the 5C3SDTI model can be used as a guideline for driving community hospitals through concrete planning and operations.