Qualitative Examination of Health Tourism and Its Challenges

Abstract

Introduction The leading Asian destinations for individuals seeking specialized medical care from other countries are Malaysia, India, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. Long waiting lists for medical procedures in Canada and the United Kingdom, rising costs, lack of insurance coverage, unfamiliarity with the health systems of the destination country and illegality of medical procedures such as kidney transplants in certain countries have prompted patients travel to other countries for medical care. Another factor motivating health tourism in Europe is access to efficient dental services. Many of the more than 47 million Americans without insurance coverage travel to India and Mexico to access efficient services. 1 It is commonly acknowledged that health tourism provides hospitals with a host of opportunities to offer services to patients from other countries. 2 Industrialization in many parts of the world has engendered the need for diverse communities, among which healthcare is of paramount importance. Countries have sought to benefit from this national opportunity by the promotion of medical tourism. 3,4 Tourism is a growth sector in the global economy and its effects reach beyond the economic and business aspects. With increased popular demand for travel and tourism and the prominent role played by the tourism industry, nations have attempted to tap this potential in line with socioeconomic development and infrastructural growth. The race between countries, especially developing countries in Asia, to attract health tourists has intensified. 5,6 Medical tourism is a legacy of health tourism. People have traveled in pursuit of medical services or health promotion for eons. 7 Health tourism is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as using services that improve physical or psychological health with the help of mineral water springs, climatic conditions or medical intervention in an area outside one's place of residence for more than 24 hours and less than one year. Most researchers integrate the terms medical tourism and health tourism and some use these terms Abstract Introduction: Health tourism refers to travel for the use of services that improve or promote the physical or psychological health of an individual in a location apart from their place of residence lasting over 24 hours. Health tourism provides a sizeable share of revenues derived from the health sector in some countries. The high potential for health tourism in Iran, especially in the city of Mashhad, the need to establish a groundwork for health tourism in Iran that cannot be overemphasized. Because the transfer of knowledge and theoretical and practical synthesis are underlying concerns, this study examined how health tourism knowledge is transferred and applied from the perspective of health tourism officials and academics. Methods: This study adopted a qualitative approach based on grounded theory. Data collection was conducted through purposeful sampling using in-depth and semi-structured individual interviews. The conversations were recorded and then transcribed verbatim and finally analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's coding paradigm and constant comparative analysis. Results: The results of interviews with 16 participants from among hospital managers, university professors and tourism and health insurance managers yielded 100 initial codes, out of which 60 conceptual labels or preliminary codes for broader concepts were extracted after repeated modification to reach conceptual density. Conclusion: Three categories having several subcategories were derived from the responses of participants: the challenges and benefits of health tourism, human interaction and communication and the impact of international standards.