Situations of Drug System Management and Opportunities for Improvement, a Survey of Public Hospitals and Provincial Public Health Offices Under the Ministry of Public Health

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to explore problematic situations and suggestions for drug and pharmaceutical system development from the perspective of pharmacists working at public hospitals and provincial public health offices. The findings were expected to be useful for formulating pharmacist workforce development plans. The survey was conducted via an online survey in May 2021, where respondents were asked to identify three critical situations in drug system management they were facing and to provide their suggestions for solving the problems.

Three hundred fifty-three pharmacists who were representatives of hospitals under the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Public Health and provincial public health offices responded to the survey (36.22% response rate). The problematic situations in drug system management reported by practicing pharmacists were professional advancement (62.04 %), procurement of medical supplies (43.63%), primary care practice (35.41%), long waiting time (33.14%), and medication errors (24.65%), respectively. The most reported suggested solution for professional advancement was towards specialization and advancement system; for the procurement of medical supplies was towards simplifying the procurement regulations; and for situations of long waiting times, medication errors, and primary care services was to increase the number of pharmacists.

These research findings highlighted that the most problematic situations encountered by pharmacists practicing in public hospitals and provincial public health offices were related to the advancement of personnel, procedures for medical supply procurement, providing primary care services, and long waiting times at the pharmacy. Their suggested solutions included improving the pharmacist professional advancement system, increasing the number of pharmacist manpower, and relaxing procurement regulations.