Evaluation of Unused Medication Costs among Patients with Non-Communicable Diseases

Abstract

Costs  in  the  health  care  system  for  patients  with  chronic  non-communicable  diseases  are continually increasing, resulting from the increased incidence of the disease. This quantitative research aimed to evaluate the cost of unused medication among patients with non-communicable diseases in district health promoting hospitals. In 2020, an assessment form was used to collect data from 177 patients who had at least one of these non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, hypertension,hyperlipidemia, and kidney disease, at Ban Khao Thong District Health Promoting Hospitals, Phayuha Khiri District, Nakhonsawan. The results revealed that the total cost of the unused medications was 4,187.90 Baht. The average of unused medication costs was 23.79 Baht (SD=29.77) per patient per visit. The highest-cost medications returned were antihypertensive drugs, antidiabetic drugs, and antilipidemic drugs, respectively. In particular, patients with two or more non-communicable diseases have a higher return cost. Cluster analysis showed that patients with a return drug value higher than the average were 4 1 - 6 0 years old and had two non- communicable diseases. It can be concluded that if such a drug problem is systematically solved among this group of patients, it will tremendously reduce the costs of residual medicine.