RESUMO
The purposes of this descriptive study were to : (1) determine the level of understanding of hospital personnel using the Primary Care Award (PCA) standard, and (2) determine the progress of implementation of the standard. The instruments used a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview form. The questionnaire was composed of three parts: the demographic data; the opinionaire focused on the implementation of the PCA and the roles of the stakeholders; and the evaluation of progress of implementing the PCA Standards. Respondents were hospital personnel working in each of the twenty four hospitals in Muang district, Phitsanulok province, Thailand. The results of the study revealed that the opinion of the hospital regarding the implementation of the PCA in all dimensions was high, however the actual implementation was at intermediate level. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) had high commitment towards the implementation of the PCA, while the provincial health office and the district health office had medium level of commitment. The participation of the local government and the village health volunteers were at the low level.