Expert consensus on the availability and consumption of herbal medicinal products in Thai pharmacies: An e-Delphi study
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- 2Division of Herb for Economy, Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
- 3Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- 4Center of Excellence in Preventive and Integrative Medicine (CE-PIM), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Abstract
Introduction: Despite the growing use of herbal medicinal products (HMPs) in Thailand, factors relevant to their availability and consumption in pharmacies remain insufficiently characterized. Pharmacies and healthcare professionals may play important roles in improving the availability and promoting their appropriate use. Methods: A three-round e-Delphi study was conducted among 30 multidisciplinary experts to identify and establish consensus on factors considered relevant to the availability and consumption of HMPs in pharmacies across Thailand. Experts rated the relevance and impact of each factor using a 7-point Likert scale. Consensus was defined as a Quality of the Lower Approximation (QL) score ≥ 0.75. Results: Of the 34 factors assessed, 25 reached consensus across four domains: (1) herbal medicinal products, (2) product information, (3) professional responsibilities, and (4) pharmacy operations. The National List of Essential Herbal Drugs received the highest consensus score (QL = 1.00). All nine product information factors reached consensus. Professional factors reaching consensus included product recommendation, knowledge of HMP categories, and knowledge of evidence-based efficacy and safety. Pharmacy-related factors reaching consensus included pharmacy type, business model, participation in national health programs, and location. Conclusion: Expert consensus identified a set of factors considered relevant to HMP availability and consumption in Thai pharmacies. These findings provided a framework for future empirical studies and may inform policies and interventions related to product information, professional competency, and pharmacy operations.
Related
- Locally recoverable codes from elliptic surfaces with availability and hierarchical locality
- Statistical Machine Learning for Medicinal Plant Leaves Classification
- Non-Invariance in Nested Prediction Models under Selective Predictor Availability
- Incorporating therapist capacity, availability and turnover in trials of therapist-delivered interventions: Non-orthogonal factorial designs
- Multi-View Block Distance Distributions and Linear Programming Bounds for Locally Recoverable Codes with Availability
BibTeX
@article{nakaphan2026expert,
title = {{Expert consensus on the availability and consumption of herbal medicinal products in Thai pharmacies: An e-Delphi study}},
author = {Thanat Nakaphan and Monthaka Teerachaisakul and Chatchai Chaotham and Krit Pongpirul},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0360797},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360797},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Expert consensus on the availability and consumption of herbal medicinal products in Thai pharmacies: An e-Delphi study
AU - Thanat Nakaphan
AU - Monthaka Teerachaisakul
AU - Chatchai Chaotham
AU - Krit Pongpirul
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0360797
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360797
AB - Introduction: Despite the growing use of herbal medicinal products (HMPs) in Thailand, factors relevant to their availability and consumption in pharmacies remain insufficiently characterized. Pharmacies and healthcare professionals may play important roles in improving the availability and promoting their appropriate use. Methods: A three-round e-Delphi study was conducted among 30 multidisciplinary experts to identify and establish consensus on factors considered relevant to the availability and consumption of HMPs in pharmacies across Thailand. Experts rated the relevance and impact of each factor using a 7-point Likert scale. Consensus was defined as a Quality of the Lower Approximation (QL) score ≥ 0.75. Results: Of the 34 factors assessed, 25 reached consensus across four domains: (1) herbal medicinal products, (2) product information, (3) professional responsibilities, and (4) pharmacy operations. The National List of Essential Herbal Drugs received the highest consensus score (QL = 1.00). All nine product information factors reached consensus. Professional factors reaching consensus included product recommendation, knowledge of HMP categories, and knowledge of evidence-based efficacy and safety. Pharmacy-related factors reaching consensus included pharmacy type, business model, participation in national health programs, and location. Conclusion: Expert consensus identified a set of factors considered relevant to HMP availability and consumption in Thai pharmacies. These findings provided a framework for future empirical studies and may inform policies and interventions related to product information, professional competency, and pharmacy operations.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -