The Development of an Herbal Medicine Service System through Telemedicine at Nong Don Hospital, Saraburi Province.

Abstract

Telehealth leverages digital technology to provide healthcare services, with telemedicine serving as its primary model to enhance service accessibility while reducing travel time, costs, and hospital congestion, particularly for chronic patients and vulnerable groups under government support policies. This research and development study, utilizing an integrated mixed-methods approach of quantitative and qualitative research, aimed to (1) investigate existing problems in herbal medicine service systems, (2) develop a telemedicine-based herbal medicine service system, and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of the developed system. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews, workshops, service record logs, and satisfaction surveys from 47 purposively selected key informants. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis and interpretation, while quantitative data were analyzed via descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that the existing outpatient system was characterized by complex procedures, overcrowding, and significant travel barriers that hindered service access. The developed model transformed these services into a telemedicine herbal medicine system utilizing LINE OA as the primary communication channel, integrating registration, medical consultation, and medication delivery. After implementation, the model demonstrated substantial success, increasing the value of herbal medicine usage by 36.60% and growing the number of new service users by 22.61%. Service users reported high satisfaction levels (mean scores of 4.63–4.90), particularly praising the increased convenience, staff performance, and the reduction of financial and time burdens. In conclusion, this telemedicine system significantly enhances accessibility, eliminates geographical limitations, and clearly elevates the efficiency of herbal medicine services. It serves as a highly suitable model for further expansion within the modern digital health system to ensure equitable healthcare delivery for all patient populations across diverse geographical locations.