Lessons Learned from the Project on Drug Safety Management within Community by Engaging the Network of Partners in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya during 2015-2017

Abstract

Objective: To summarize the lessons learned on key success factors of the project on drug safety
management within the community by engaging the network of partners in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province during
the years 2015-2017. Method: The study employed mixed methodology consisting of both quantitative and qualitative
research. The researchers implemented the project on "Drug Safety Management within Community " in Phra Nakhon
Si Ayutthaya Province during the year 2015-2017. It was planned to implement in all districts within 4 years. In each
year, 25% of sub-district health promoting hospitals (SDHPH) in each district were required to implement the project.
Quantitative research was conducted on the population at risk in all 16 districts of Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya who were
at least 60 years old and diagnosed by a physician as having at chronic diseases. The researcher purposively
selected one subdistrict from each district. Then, four villages from each selected subdistrict were randomly selected.
Ten households were randomly selected from each chosen village. The investigators measured patient knowledge on
steroids, collected the data on suspected health products in households and tested the suspected products with a
screening test of steroids developed by the Department of Medical Sciences. Qualitative research was carried out by
compiling the report on project implementation, visiting the projects’ sites to evaluate project implementation of the
districts, attending the presentation of those involved in the project, and collecting the data from the exchange forum
and the contest of project implementation among those from different districts. Results: The study identified success
factors of unsafe drug management in the community including 1) all parties in the community having a common goal;
2) agreement on how to track the progress or success of the project; 3) the activities of all parties in the cooperation
may differ from each other according to the expertise of each group, but needed to by synergy; 4) continuous
meetings and exchanges; and 5) having a backbone organization that created the conditions of success as described in the first four factors. Those in backbone organization had to have good relationship with the community, local administrative organization, and other relevant agencies. Survey of households in the project area in 2017 identified 130 suspected products with steroid contamination. The steroid was found to in 20.8% of such products, which was close to that of 2016 (20.5%), but decreased from 29.8% in 2015 which was the starting year of the project. Twenty one percent of population at risk reported knowing steroids. Conclusion: Those in public sector should strengthen community network of consumer protection to become self-reliant leading to sustainability of resolving the problem of inappropriate drugs within the community by establishing conditions on success factors identified in this study