Analysis of Performance According to Drug Safety Standards of the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand

Abstract

            This study aims to monitor and analyze the drug safety management performance of provincial public health offices across four dimensions: 1) drug safety management system; 2) drug selection system; 3) drug procurement and inventory; and 4) primary pharmaceutical services. It is a descriptive study that analyzes secondary data from the drug safety self-assessment program database of the Ministry of Public Health from January to May 2024. The data is presented using statistics such as frequency, percentage, and the Chi-square test, with a significance level set at P<0.05.
             Results: When categorized by 12 health regions, comprising 72 locations in 2022 and 76 locations in 2023, the self-assessment scores according to drug safety standards were examined by the size of the provincial public health offices (S, M, L, XL, and Ex-XL). It was found that the average scores across all four dimensions did not show statistically significant differences, both in 2022 and 2023. Overall, the average scores in each dimension increased in 2023 compared to 2022. The overall average difference in the self-assessment scores according to drug safety standards between 2022 and 2023 was 0.42, which was statistically significant (p = 0.01).
            Conclusion: Provincial public health offices of all sizes and locations place importance on complying with drug safety standards in all dimensions. Provincial public health offices should continue to recognize this importance and establish clear policies at the provincial, regional, and national levels.