Results of the Policies Promoting Use of Herbal Medicine in Hospitals under the Khon Kaen Provincial Public Health Office

Abstract

Purposes : To study the outcomes, compare, and examine factors influencing the prescribing of herbal medicine and its use in the treatment of patients in hospitals under the Khon Kaen Provincial Public Health Office.

Study design : Mixed method study consisting of a retrospective quantitative study and qualitative research using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions.

Materials and Methods : The population and samples consisted of two groups: Group 1 - medical records from the HDC database of standard reports on access to traditional Thai medicine services between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2024, and Group 2 - 150 members of Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees from all healthcare facilities selected by simple random sampling. Research instruments included medical records from the HDC database and questionnaires on factors affecting herbal medicine prescription. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, percentage difference, and chi-square test.

Main findings : The value of herbal medicine use in fiscal year 2024 showed an increasing trend compared to fiscal year 2023 in almost all outcome aspects, except for the number of patients diagnosed by traditional Thai medicine practitioners, which decreased from 8,072.88±8,983.08 to 7,813.38±8,208.80 persons. Community hospitals had the highest proportion of herbal medicine use at 1.91% (increased by 1.89%), followed by general hospitals at 0.39% (increased by 0.04%), and regional hospitals at 0.18% (decreased by 0.24%). The top three herbal medicines with increased use were: Khiphung Phlai Formula No. 1 (increased by 5.04%), cough syrup with Indian gooseberry (increased by 2.71%), and Phlai cream (increased by 1.05%). Five factors were statistically significantly associated with herbal medicine prescription (p<.001): age, position, knowledge about herbal medicines, hospital policy, and problems and obstacles in herbal medicine prescription.

Conclusion and recommendations: Promoting herbal medicine use in public hospitals is a crucial policy aligned with the National Herbal Action Plan. Despite various challenges and obstacles, with increasing empirical evidence, successful examples from multiple hospitals, and support from national agencies, implementation of the recommendations from this study will help achieve the goals of herbal medicine utilization, benefit patients, reduce pharmaceutical expenditure, and sustainably promote Thai wisdom in herbal medicine.