Abstract
Background
The Drug and Medical Supply Information Center began its operations in 1993 under
the name Drug Information Center, Regional Hospital Division. Later, in 1998, the Ministry of Public
Health (MOPH) announced principles and measures for pharmaceutical management system reform
under the Good Health at Low Cost policy in response to the major economic recession. The Drug
Information Center was assigned additional responsibilities to monitor the progress of these
measures and to disseminate information on drug prices and quality.
In 1999, the MOPH introduced a policy requiring the establishment of a permanent
organization or unit responsible for pharmaceutical management to monitor medicine-related
situations, including quality and pricing, for hospital purchases. The aim was to support provinciallevel authorities and various agencies in accessing information at all times via the Drug Information
Center’s website. As responsibilities expanded, in 2001, the Drug Information Center was renamed
the Drug and Medical Supply Information Center, Ministry of Public Health (DMSIC), to cover the
management of both drugs and medical supplies across hospital networks, further supporting the
Universal Health Coverage policy.
In addition to operating a website as a tool for disseminating information, the DMSIC
was also tasked with monitoring the implementation of measures (including pharmaceutical
management) in hospitals to compile data into the Health Administration Division's database. Under
this system, hospitals submitted information in two forms: (1) a summary of activities, entered as
secondary data (key-in) on the DMSIC’s website, and (2) an uploaded Excel file (specifically for
procurement plans). However, requesting secondary data posed limitations regarding the volume,
accuracy, and timeliness of the information. Additionally, it was impossible to verify data accuracy
and provide immediate feedback during submission.
Findings and outputs
The purpose of this project was to improve (change) the system for data transmission
process, enhancing data quality, and maximize the use of available data. The project consists of
multiple components and activities. To provide a clear summary of the findings and outputs, the
activities and results are outlined below, aligned with the project's objectives:
1. Developing a medicine management reporting system for the DMSIC and hospitals
under the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the MOPH into an electronic data exchange format
known as the Application Programming Interface (API). The results included the development of
two data exchange systems in two phases:
(a) First system (Phase 1): A web-based file upload system for Excel and CSV formats,
allowing hospitals to upload and download previously submitted data. This system features quick
and detailed validation checks, enabling hospitals to correct errors and resubmit files. It operates
under MOPH monitoring and security standards (requiring a username, password, and token). This
system represents an improvement over the previous version, facilitating the transition to the
second system (Phase 2), which is the ultimate goal.
(b) Second system (Phase 2): An API that enables direct data transfer from hospital
databases to the DMSIC's database, with the sender's permission, while adhering to the same
security standards as the first system.
2. Improving data quality by transitioning from secondary to primary data reporting. The
outputs include:
(a) Defining five standard datasets: the annual operative purchase plan, hospital medicine
list, medicine receipt, medicine distribution, and medicine inventory. These datasets were tested,
improved, and finalized.
(b) Enhancing the quality of submitted data by identifying key issues that must be
consistent and complete (with error codes for autodetection and no allowance for blank cells).
(c) Changing the data submission method from web-based key-in to file upload. Although
this remains secondary data, it is now compiled automatically from various hospitals.
(d) Creating a master table in the DMSIC’s data system by standardizing, updating, and
linking key datasets (hospital codes, ATC drug codes, National Essential Medicine List codes, TMT,
and TTMT codes) via an API and web application to ensure alignment of data from various hospitals.
3. Leveraging the compiled datasets to visualize key summary data, including drug
reference prices and pharmaceutical management indicators, through business intelligence (BI) and
modern data visualization tools. The results were obtained systematically and are presented in the
following order:
(a) Selecting 16 indicators for pharmaceutical management through a research process that
considers quality, time, cost, and productivity dimensions. The indicators were chosen based on
four criteria: (1) legal and policy frameworks; (2) common recommendations from international
organizations (e.g., USAID, MSH) and domestic research; (3) data collection feasibility; and (4) the
ability to group indicators and assign responsible units.
(b) Proposing criteria for selecting medicines that are likely to be vulnerable to shortages
in normal non-emergency situations, which require a closed monitoring system. This activity utilized
research methods to understand the systems established by the European Union and the United
States, as well as their monitored drug lists and practices in Thai MOPH hospitals.
(c) Developing a set of five reporting and dashboard interfaces using Power BI to leverage
data from the five submitted datasets, in accordance with the selected indicators and policy
relevance. These dashboards include information on the numbers and quality of submitted data, the
annual operational purchase plan, inventory information, financing efficiency (comparing planned
versus actual purchases), and reference prices. These systems automatically process, and update
visualizations based on a predefined cycle.
(d) Monitoring and evaluating the developed system's efficiency and user satisfaction by
surveying participating hospitals and organizations. While most respondents recommended
continuing and improving the project, there were concerns regarding data utilization, system
efficiency, and the system’s ability to reduce hospital staff workload.
