Analysis of the quality and safety of healthcare services in traditional medicine

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization defines healthcare quality by the degree to which services optimize population health outcomes while addressing individual patient needs. In January 2026, a Presidential Decree in Mongolia established a legal and regulatory mandate to enhance the organizational, operational, and clinical infrastructure of traditional medicine. Aligning clinical practices with this framework necessitates rigorous, evidence-based evaluation of service quality and safety within traditional medicine facilities. Aim: To systematically evaluate patient safety indicators, medication practices, and procedural outcomes in inpatient traditional medicine settings. Materials and Methods: A retrospective record-based study was conducted utilizing a sampled cohort of inpatient medical records from a traditional medicine facility. Key clinical indicators—including patient identification compliance, fall-risk stratification, high-alert medication utilization, pharmacovigilance outcomes, and peri-procedural safety measures—were systematically extracted and analyzed. Results: High-alert medications were administered to 25.6% of inpatients, with 10.0% receiving concurrent therapy with multiple high-alert agents. Three adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were documented during the observation period, all occurring on the initial day of hospitalization. Analysis of ADR-associated regimens identified multi-ingredient traditional formulations, specifically Sojid-11, Agar-35, and Marchin-13. Procedural safety adherence for acupuncture demonstrated high compliance: written informed consent (95.0%), post-treatment infection surveillance (98.0%), and post-procedural bleeding evaluation (100.0%). For the therapy, baseline complete blood counts were performed in 100.0% of cases; however, baseline coagulation profiles were documented in only 4.0%, and post-treatment follow-up laboratory testing was completed in 23.0%. Correct patient identification procedures achieved an 86.1% compliance rate. Although fall-risk screening identified 62.0% of inpatients as high risk, two inpatient fall events occurred during the study period. Conclusions: Inpatient traditional medicine practices exhibit strong adherence to basic procedural monitoring but critical gaps remain in pharmacovigilance and laboratory monitoring. Mitigating clinical risk requires mandatory baseline coagulation profiling prior to invasive procedures such as hirudotherapy, heightened surveillance when initiating complex multi-ingredient botanical drugs, and standardized fall-prevention protocols. Strengthening these targeted safety metrics is essential to minimize preventable adverse events, optimize clinical efÏciency, and fulfill national quality improvement mandates.