Evaluation of and Lessons learnt from Community Drug Safety Campaign in Phitsanulok during the Fiscal Year 2017

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate and conclude the lessons learnt to on success factors, problems, and barriers in implementing the Community Drug Safety Campaign in Phitsanulok during the fiscal year 2017. Methods: This study was a mixed method study with 3 phases including 1) evaluation of the outcomes of the campaign in a quantitative study using survey form for drugs in household and records of grocery inspection, 2) selection of the district for concluding the lessons learnt by using evaluation form, and 3) conclusion of the lesson learnt with a qualitative study. Results: In the outcome evaluation of the campaign, household survey of drugs revealed that Na Bua sub-district in Nakhon Thai District had the least proportion of households with antibiotics left-over (7.4%) and had the lowest rate of drugs or products contaminated with steroids (12.0%). The survey of drugs and health products in retail stores found that this sub-district has the least proportion of retailers with antibiotics (57.1%) and found no steroid-contaminated drugs or health products. The researcher therefore chose this sub-district for concluding the lessons learnt. The study showed that this district had been successful in implementing the project with the following success factors; every network partner’s acknowledgement that success required the partnership, and one person or one group of people could not accomplish the goal, participatory decision making on common goal, objectives, method of operation and desired outcomes before implementation of the project, commitment from the part of high level administrators of the sub-district on the collective resolution of drug safety problem in community, mutual trust among each network partner, unambiguous plans in project with simple and uncomplicated activities, and involvement of network partners in project evaluation. Conclusion: Evaluation of the implementation of the project found that Na Bua sub-district had the best outcomes. Lessons learnt from this sub-district reflect success factors in project implementation.