Development of a Program for Checking Drugs Nearing Expiration Date and the Number of Exchanged Drugs with Application Line Notify, Surat Thani Hospital

Abstract

Background: Surat Thani Hospital is a tertiary-level hospital with a high volume of patients requiring extensive medication use. Effective management and control of near-expiry drugs serve as key indicators of efficient drug distribution and quality assurance in pharmaceutical use, minimizing unnecessary losses.

Objective: 1) To develop a program for checking expired drugs and the quantity of exchanged drugs using the Line notify application at Surat Thani Hospital, and 2) To evaluate the effectiveness of a program for checking expired drugs and the quantity of exchanged drugs using the Line notify application at Surat Thani Hospital, using the E1/E2 formula.

Methods: This study employed an action research methodology involving three operational cycles. The sample consisted of all actual near-expiry drug items within the hospital’s inventory system. The key informants were 9 personnel involved in inventory management (total population), selected via purposive sampling based on their responsibilities. The study phases included: Phase 1 (Situation Analysis), collecting retrospective data from 2022–2024 and prospective data for 6 months regarding near-expiry drugs and exchange values; Phase 2 (Planning and Action), designing the program using Google Apps Script, Google Sheets, and LINE Notify, validated by three experts and implemented in practice; and Phase 3 (Evaluation and Reflection), comparing pre- and post-implementation data. Effectiveness was assessed using the E1/E2 efficiency ratio. The effect size, analyzed using Cohen's h statistic, was 0.66, indicating a medium-to-large effect size, demonstrating a clear practical improvement in pharmaceutical management.

Results: The study led to the development of a monitoring program based on the "6STEP-DALDRE" model, comprising six steps: Data Input, Alert, Line Notify, Drug Exchange, Reporting, and Evaluation. Regarding effectiveness, the rate of drug distribution prior to expiration (E2) increased from 28.88% to 60.86%. Furthermore, the value of exchanged/returned drugs increased from 6.20% to 7.58% of the total near-expiry drug value.

Conclusion: The near-expiry drug monitoring program, developed using the LINE Notify application and the 6STEP-DALDRE model, effectively enhances pharmaceutical management efficiency, reduces waste from expired medication, and promotes cost-effective resource utilization at Surat Thani Hospital.