Factors Affecting Destination Choice in Medical Tourism

Abstract

Introduction: Although many factors can affect the choice of destination in medical tourism, some factors are indispensable to medical tourists and medical tourism. The aim of this study was to analyze important factors affecting the selection of a destination by potential medical tourists. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study, conducted in Turkey, included a population of 1700 people and a sample size of 317 people selected through purposive sampling. Values were evaluated with a 95% confidence interval and 0.05 standard error. A value of P Results: In this study, 56.5% of the participants were male and 43.5% were female. The factors affecting the selection of medical tourism destinations were determined to be, in order of importance, accessibility of health care service (X̄ = 4.68 ± 1.073), level of security and safety (X̄ = 4:57 ± 1.122), quality of health care service (X̄ = 4:39 ± 1.129), level of hygiene (X̄ = 4.16 ± 1.381), potential of savings-low cost (X̄ = 4.07 ± 1.447), and tourism opportunities (X̄ = 4.02 ± 1.540). Conclusion: It is thought that the current study will make a serious contribution to the field of medical tourism both in practice and in theory.

Keywords

• medical tourism
• decision-making
• turkey
• medical marketing
• treatment abroad