Outpatient medication supply for up to 3 months: Double benefits, improving treatment quality

Patients receive medicine at Hai Chau Regional General Hospital. Photo: TA

Proactive drug sources, synchronous implementation

At Da Nang Oncology Hospital, there are currently over 2,000 breast cancer patients receiving outpatient treatment and endocrine drugs every month. On average, the unit receives over 50 patients per day for examination and prescription of endocrine drugs. This is the group of subjects that directly benefits from the changes in Circular 26/2025/TT-BYT.

Director of Da Nang Oncology Hospital Nguyen Thanh Hung said that the hospital has proactively reviewed the list of expected patients, the expected quantity of drugs to be dispensed, the outpatient drug dispensing process, issued internal guidelines and assigned responsibility to clinical doctors to decide the number of days of prescription, not exceeding 90 days...

According to Dr. Hung, the outpatient prescription process remains the same, only changing the number of drugs prescribed for cases that meet the conditions. “Depending on the clinical condition and stability of the patient, the doctor will consider prescribing drugs with a maximum number of days of use not exceeding 90 days. This needs to be based on many factors: clinical examination, paraclinical tests, current disease stability, applied treatment regimen, disease prognosis…”, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hung shared.

Every month, Hai Chau Regional General Hospital receives 15,000 to 17,000 medical examinations, of which the number of patients with chronic diseases accounts for over 50% such as: high blood pressure, diabetes, lipid disorders, thyroid... Doctor Nguyen Hong Tinh, Head of the Examination Department, said that the unit has proactively implemented the provision of long-term medication for stable patients. However, the prescription of medication must depend on the patient's health condition for flexible assessment.

Dr. Tinh commented: “Extending the time to dispense drugs is not only suitable for treatment practice but also brings double benefits. Patients are guaranteed continuous treatment, reducing the burden of travel; medical facilities have more time to provide intensive care for severe cases.”

According to records, the implementation of prescribing chemical and biological drugs for outpatient treatment for up to 90 days at hospitals in Da Nang has been smooth. Thanks to careful preparation of human resources, procedures and drug sources, most units have ensured the ability to prescribe and dispense long-term drugs for patients in the prescribed disease groups.

Need effective monitoring solution

Regarding post-prescription monitoring, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hung said that whether prescribing for 1 month or 3 months, outpatients are always fully advised on monitoring the treatment effectiveness and side effects of the medication.

“We always recommend that patients proactively go to medical facilities when unusual reactions occur. In addition, hospitals have procedures for receiving, recording and handling side effects when patients come for examination, emergency care or remote contact. The hospital also guides patients through many direct communication channels for consultation during outpatient treatment,” Dr. Hung informed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nguyen Hong Tinh said that the phone numbers of doctors at Hai Chau Regional General Hospital are always publicly posted. “We do not refuse any calls from patients, whether they are asking about medication, side effects or administrative procedures. This is a professional responsibility,” Dr. Tinh shared.

However, according to Dr. Tinh, the implementation of long-term prescriptions also poses many challenges, especially in monitoring treatment compliance in the elderly patient group. “The majority of chronic patients in the hospital are elderly. The control of the level of treatment compliance is still mainly based on patient reports, while no objective measurement tools have been applied. This significantly affects the effectiveness of treatment,” Dr. Tinh shared.

In addition, another difficulty is that the health insurance prescription ceiling at certain times tends to increase, due to the high proportion of elderly patients, while long-term prescriptions often result in higher than average drug costs. This is an issue that requires coordination and sharing.

According to Circular 26/2025/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health , the list of 252 diseases is spread over 16 groups of diseases, including: infectious and parasitic diseases; neoplasms; diseases of the blood, blood-forming organs and disorders related to the immune mechanism; endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases; mental diseases; diseases of the nervous system; diseases of the eyes and eye appendages; diseases of the circulatory system; diseases of the respiratory system; diseases of the digestive system; diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue; diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue; diseases of the genitourinary system; pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum; toxic injuries and consequences of some external causes; factors affecting health status and contact with health services.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/cap-thuoc-ngoai-tru-toi-da-3-thang-loi-ich-kep-nang-cao-chat-luong-dieu-tri-3297021.html