Unit:
Department of NursingLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Dissertation committee:
Δάφνη Καϊτελίδου, Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Νοσηλευτικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Ιωάννης Μαντάς, Ομότιμος Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Νοσηλευτικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Θεόδωρος Μαριόλης- Σαψάκος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Νοσηλευτικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Αθηνά Καλοκαιρινού, Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Νοσηλευτικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Πέτρος Γαλάνης, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Νοσηλευτικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Όλγα Σίσκου, Επίκουρος Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Τουριστικών Σπουδών, ΠΑΠΕΙ
Παντελής Στεργιάννης, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Νοσηλευτικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Ο ιατρικός τουρισμός και τα κριτήρια επιλογής του προορισμού
Translated title:
Factors affecting medical tourism destination selection
Summary:
Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting medical tourism destination selection in Greece.
Methods: A cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection was conducted in the second semester of 2019. The study sample consisted of 446 adult patients with adequate knowledge/use of the English language, recently discharged from dialysis (n=230) and IVF units (n=216) in Greece. Inclusion criteria were at least a session in a dialysis unit or IVF unit. The response rate was 67%. Statistical analysis included univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis, it was performed using IBM SPSS 21.0 and a two-sided significance level was set at 0.05.
Results: Most patients were female (62.8%), of a medium socioeconomic status and their mean age was 46.7 years (SD= 11.9). 52.9% of the sample were college graduates, 66.4% were married and (51.8%) had social insurance. All participants were European citizens and were able to understand the English language. The majority of the participants (77.4%) stated that the cost of the facility was low. In particular, 87.7% of the participants answered that the total cost was affordable including the cost of the facility, transportation and accommodation. Also, 90.9% of the patients agreed about the high quality of the medical care provided. Moreover, 84.9% of the participants agreed that an important factor for their final destination decision was the state of the art medical equipment. 90.8% of the patients agreed that the comfort of the medical equipment was a significant factor which improved their experience and 88.2% stated that the new, modern and attractive facilities were important reasons for their final decision. Multivariable linear regression analysis identified that males had higher score on health services cost than females, individuals with public insurance or no insurance had higher score on health services cost than individuals with private insurance, and decreased annual income was associated with increased score on health services cost. Also, increased educational level and increased annual income were associated with increased score on health services quality.
Discussion: Based on the results of the survey, participants expressed positive experiences. The contribution of new and innovative medical technology is significant and upgrades the level of provided quality. Also the ability to combine a therapy and living a new and different experience in modern and technologically advanced facilities of a medical tourism center is important. The high quality of the medical care provided by accredited professionals and combined by modern medical technology and luxurious accommodation are findings which are being widely confirmed in the relevant literature.
Conclusions: The contribution of the state of the art technology and the comfort of the medical equipment are significant and reveal its contribution to the growth of the medical tourism industry. The use of modern medical technology can improve medical tourism experience and grow the contribution to its market growth. Recognizing and understanding the above characteristics is an important step towards the support and comprehension of medical tourism.
Key words: medical tourism, health tourism, health traveller, dialysis treatment, ivf treatment
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Health tourism, Medical tourism, Health traveller, Factors affecting medical tourism
Number of references:
103
