IMPROVING BASIC PATIENT CARE SKILLS OF PUBLIC HEALTH VOLUNTEERS VILLAGE PHAWONG SUBDISTRICT, MUEANG DISTRICT, SONGKHLA PROVINCE

Abstract

This research article aims to: 1. Study the enhancement of basic patient care skills among village health volunteers in Phawong Subdistrict, Mueang District, Songkhla Province, and 2. Explore suggestions for improving basic patient care skills among village health volunteers. The research employs a mixed - methods approach. The quantitative part collects data using questionnaires from 375 participants residing in the Phawong Subdistrict. The qualitative part gathers data through interviews with 17 key informants from 5 different groups. The research findings reveal that the overall enhancement of basic patient care skills among village health volunteers is at a moderate level ( = 2.97, S.D. = 0.74). Ranking the average scores from highest to lowest: Psychological care and hygiene had the highest mean score ( = 3.28,S.D. = 0.37), Followed by providing love and support ( = 3.13, S.D. = 0.70), Food and medication care ( = 3.05, S.D. = 0.69), Following medical advice ( = 3.03, S.D. = 0.87), Mobility assistance ( = 2.94, S.D. = 0.90), Communication ( = 2.87, S.D. = 0.75), and Emergency management had the lowest score ( = 2.79, S.D. = 1.09). 2) Recommendations for enhancing the skills of village health volunteers include organizing practical training workshops, promoting learning through media (e.g., video clips and mobile applications), supporting experience sharing, strengthening communication skills with patients and their families, increasing knowledge on proper medication use, developing easy - to - understand manuals or reference documents, promoting collaboration with public health teams, organizing home care demonstration activities, training in abnormal symptom observation, and using real - life case scenarios for volunteer - based learning.