Development of a Rehabilitation System for Long-Term Drug Addicts in Chanthaburi Province: ChanTHARAK System

Abstract

This action research aimed to develop a long-term rehabilitation system for drug addicts in Chanthaburi Province. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved analyzing secondary data and reviewing the long-term rehabilitation system from the 2023–2024 project using a focus group discussion with 46 project staff members In the second phase, the development of a long-term rehabilitation system for drug addicts was conducted. Data collection employed qualitative methods. A focus group discussion was conducted with 46 project implementation officers. Additionally, the Delphi technique, a future research method, was used with 20 experts. In-depth interviews were also conducted with 10 key informants, including members of the provincial drug committee, drug addiction experts, executives from relevant organizations, mental health and addiction specialists, psychiatric nurses, and psychologists., selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The findings from Phase 1 revealed a statistically significant improvement in the overall quality of life of rehabilitated individuals the scores increased from a moderate level to a good level in all dimensions. Among the participants, 67.39% expressed a strong commitment to quitting drug use, while 100% reported an intention to cease substance use. Additionally, 60.87% were in the Stage of Action for quitting drugs, and the relapse rate after one year of follow-up was 15.21%. The system development process, based on the Delphi technique, led to the establishment of the “ChanTHARAK System” a comprehensive long-term rehabilitation framework consisting of four key components: (1) Management System, (2) Screening and Case Identification System, (3) Rehabilitation System, and (4) Follow up System. This developed system is used to improve the operation in fiscal year 2025 in order to continuously enhance the efficiency of drug addict rehabilitation.