A Developed Guideline for Hepatitis B and C Screening with Participation of Village Health Volunteers in Bungkla Sub-District, Muang District, Chaiyaphum Province

Abstract

     This study employed a participatory action research (PAR) approach, utilizing the PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act) to develop a screening guideline for hepatitis B and C with the active participation of village health volunteers in Bungkla Sub-district, Muang District, Chaiyaphum Province. The research process included document analysis, focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders, and qualitative content analysis.

     The results revealed that the implementation model employed a Participatory Action Research (PAR) cycle consisting of four processes and eight steps as follows: (1) Planning process (Plan): Step 1 (P1): Conducting meetings with stakeholders. Step 2 (P2): Reviewing documents and analyzing data. Step 3 (P3): Developing an operational plan. (2) Implementation process (Do): Step 4 (D1): Deciding on the screening approach. Step 5 (D2): Organizing capacity-building training for village health volunteers. (3) Monitoring process (Check): Step 6 (C1): Assessing the capacity of village health volunteers. Step 7 (C2): Reviewing the implementation process. and (4) Action process (Action): Step 8 (A1): Improving and enhancing the effectiveness of the outcomes. Village health volunteers participated actively in every step of the process. The study concluded that Bungkla Sub-district Health Promoting Hospital implemented the screening program in accordance with the Ministry of Public Health’s standards. However, several limitations were identified, including an insufficient number of test kits, time constraints, and an incomplete data recording system. These challenges affected the overall efficiency and coverage of screening among the target population. Recommendations for improvement derived from the study include: increasing budget allocation, enhancing the role of community leaders in public health communication, strengthening local network partnerships, and expanding proactive screening efforts in parallel with routine services to improve service accessibility and effectively reduce the spread of the virus among at-risk populations.