Development of Integrative Cannabis Clinic for Medicine in Phon Hospital, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand

Abstract

This research aimed to study and develop the service in medical cannabis clinic integrating
conventional medicine and Thai traditional medicine of Phon Hospital in Khon Kaen Province; and aimed
to investigate the outcomes of implementing such a model, as well as facilitating public access to medical
treatment with appropriate and safe cannabis extracts. The research applied systems theory and employed
the Continuous Improvement Cycle (CIC) framework, divided into four parts: (1) situation analysis, (2)
problem synthesis and proposal, (3) development the service, and (4) study of development outcomes.
The targeted groups included a multidisciplinary team of 12 professionals and 42 clients. The research
duration spanned from January to December 2021. Results of the model development process included:
(1) designing a healthcare service system, improving clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), and supporting
self-health management knowledge for continuous care; (2) establishing a comprehensive health database
system linking patient health data with Ministry of Public Health databases and primary healthcare
service databases; (3) decision support through care management guidelines and skill development in clinic
services, fostering communication networks with consulting teams via the Line app.; (4) self-management
support and community linkage services; and (5) following the implementation of the developed model. It
was found that the life quality assessment of patients as average in EQ-5D-5L and VAS scores increased
from 67.6 to 84.81 points especially on body movement (93.8%). Parkinson’s patients experienced
reduced pain and stiffness, and patients’ absence on cure monitoring lower to 20.4% of all service
recipients. Rapid detection of adverse drug reactions within one week of medication usage was achieved.
Overall satisfaction rating was at averaging high (Mean=4.46, SD=0.28). Thus, an integration between
Thai traditional medicine and conventional medicine, particularly in palliative care, enhanced efficiency
and quality of life for patients unresponsive to conventional medicine.