Satisfaction of Patients with Non-communicable Diseases on Medication Delivery during the Pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 by Village Health Volunteers in Kut Chum District, Yasothon Province

Abstract

Objective: To assess the patient's satisfaction with the home drug delivery service by village health volunteers (VHV) or the VHV Grab Drug. Method: The VHV Grab Drug was a method that hospital delivered patient's medicines to Sub-district Health Promotion Hospitals (SDHPHs). The SDHPHs then worked with the VHV to deliver medicines to patients in their area by motorcycle. The objective was to reduce congestion in hospitals and reduce the risk of contracting the Coronavirus disease 2019. The participants in the VHV Grab Drug project were patients with 5 chronic diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure, renal failure, and heart disease. and epilepsy in Kut Chum Hospital who were able to control their diseases. The researchers recruited 240 patients who were scheduled to receive medications from the VHV Grab Drug between January 1 and February 28, 2021 using a stratified random sampling based on the 14 SDHPHs’ service areas. Service satisfaction was assessed using self-administered questionnaire. Results: The patients most agreed with the item on “delivering drugs through the VHV Grab Drug is beneficial in reducing the burden of traveling to the hospital, long waiting time, and hospitals overcrowding with a mean score of 4.43±0.87 (out of a full score of 5), followed by satisfaction with the roles of the VHVs on drug delivery during the epidemic (4.39±0.85) and the item on “drug delivery is simple, convenient, easy to understand and can be used regularly (4.35±0.93). Moreover, they viewed that information on the drug label was accurate and complete, and the delivery of medicines was timely. They commented that they would like to have pharmacists dispense drugs in SDHPHs, and they would consult with medical personnel in the SDHPHs nearby their homes in cases of having drug-related problems or receiving medications with a different appearance from those in past. Conclusion: Participants in the VHV Grab drug were satisfied with the delivery. Therefore, this project should be continued, and extended to cover other groups of patients and drugs.