Medical Tourism Service Quality Research Articles

The effect of Korean medical tourism service quality on national image, medical tourism satisfaction and recommendation intention: focusing on Chinese tourists

The effect of Korean medical tourism service quality on national image, medical tourism satisfaction and recommendation intention: focusing on Chinese tourists

의료관광 서비스품질에 관한 IPA 분석 연구

Purpose – After breaking the three-year hiatus in medical tourism due to COVID-19, the medical tourism industry is looking forward to reopening. This study conducted an empirical study on the importance and performance of medical tourism service quality to provide implications in accelerating the revitalization of the medical tourism industry. Design/Methodology/Approach – Existing studies related to the service quality of medical tourism have been conducted mainly targeting foreign patients. In order to balance this point of view, 50 medical tourism employees in Bucheon city were set as targets. Then, IPA analysis on medical tourism service quality was conducted. Findings – The medical infrastructure and system, intensive service for foreign patients only, and professional manpower have excellent service quality, and areas to be improved are the foreign patient telemedicine system of the medical system and the foreign language homepage of the service system. In order to revitalize medical tourism, it is necessary to consider priorities in the relevant areas. Research Implications – This study is meaningful as data for comparison with previous studies on medical tourism service quality before COVID-19. In addition, research on service quality for medical tourism employees was conducted to balance the implications of medical tourism research.

한국의료관광 서비스품질이 지각된 가치, 만족도 및 재방문의도의 영향관계 분석: 중국인 의료관광객을 대상으로

The This study selected Chinese medical tourists who experienced Korean medical tourism to present suggestions for continuous development and marketing development before COVID-19, and drew the following research to promote medical tourism marketing and medical tourism by examining service quality factors and perceived value. First of all, understand the effect of sub-factors of medical tourism service quality on perceived value, satisfaction and revisit intention. Next, understand the effect of perceived value on satisfaction and revisit intention. Finally, understand the effect of satisfaction on the revisit intention.

한류스타 이미지와 의료관광 서비스품질이 미용성형 태도와 미용성형 관광의도에 미치는 영향 연구: 잠재 중국인 여성을 대상으로

This study is to examine the effects of Halyu-star image and medical tourism service quality attributes on cosmetic surgery attitude and behavioral intention. An onsite survey was conducted for Chinese females, who have never visited South Korea for cosmetic surgery tourism. A total of 319 samples were collected and used for analysis in this study.BR The results of this study indicate that Halyu-star image had a significant impact on cosmetic surgery attitudes. Also, medical tourism service quality was classified into two factors: medical tangibles and medical reliability. Both medical tangibles and medical reliability had a significant impact on cosmetic surgery attitude which in turn had a significant impact on behavior intension for cosmetic surgery. Based on the finding, theoretical and practical implications are drawn.

의료관광 서비스품질 속성이 의료관광 만족도에 미치는 영향 : 국가이미지 매개효과를 중심으로

This study is to examine the effect of the national image and medical tourism service quality on medical tourism satisfaction through the survey occurred in November 2017 of 300 Chinese tourists who have experienced medical tourism in Korea. The 201 returned surveys out of 216 has been analyzed with the statistical data from SPSS and AMOS. This study analyses appropriate themes and research variables in relation to the promising medical tourism industry during the politically sensitive period between Korea and China after the THAAD deployment in Korea. Although there are a number of previous studies showing that the national image has a positive effect on the quality of the medical service, there are not sufficient examinations of the four medical service qualities effect on the national image as provided in this report. Through this study, it will provide a more strategic approach from the marketing point of view at the politically sensitive period by identifying how the service quality attributes the national image.

Kano model을 활용한 의료관광 서비스 품질 속성 분류 연구 : 중국 관광객을 중심으로

의료 서비스를 관광산업과 연계한 의료관광산업은 고부가가치산업으로 인식되며 관련 산업을 성장시키고 있다. 일반관광에 비하여 의료관광은 관광객의 체류기간 및 지출액이 2배 이상 높은 저비용 고효율의 산업으로 국가의 신성장 동력으로 인정받고 있다. 그 중요성이 부각됨에 따라 관광객이 추구하는 가치를 이해하고 이들을 만족시키기 위한 서비스 품질의 중요성 역시 관심의 대상이 되었다. 의료관광에 참여하는 소비자들은 ‘의료’와 ‘관광’이라는 서비스에 참여하며 해당 서비스에 대해 높은 수준을 요구하고 있기에 관련 서비스 품질에 대한 연구가 진행되었다. 기존의 일반적 서비스 품질 연구에서 벗어나 의료 관광이 갖는 특수한 상황과 융복합(convergence) 산업임을 고려하여 지극히 새로운 관점에서 의료관광 서비스 품질을 살펴보았다. 나아가 만족과 재이용 의사에 영향을 미치는 것을 확인하는 일원적인 인식방법에서 벗어나 Kano 모델을 이용한 이원적 인식의 측정모델을 이용하여 의료관광 서비스 품질을 측정하였다. Kano model을 이용한 의료관광 서비스 품질분류 결과 매력적 품질 4개 항목, 일원적 품질 9개 항목, 당연적 품질 3개 항목, 무관심 품질 6개로 분류되었다. 매력적 품질은 ‘관광지의 볼거리’, ‘쇼핑 거리’ 등으로 도출되었다. 매력적 품질은 충족될 경우 큰 만족을 느낄 수 있는 요소이기 때문에 국가 및 관련 기업이 여력이 있을 경우 해당 서비스 품질의 만족도를 높이기 위한 노력을 시도해 볼 수 있다. 일원적 품질에 속하는 요소들로는 ‘대중교통 이용편의성’, ‘상담원 친절성’ 등으로 나타났다. 일원적 품질에 속하는 서비스 요소들은 충족 시 만족을 느끼게 되며, 충족되지 않으면 불만을 느끼게 되므로 서비스 제공 주체에게 있어서 중요한 요소들로 평가될 수 있다. 당연적 품질은 ‘여행지에 대한 정보제공’, ‘의료기관 선택에 대한 정보제공’ 등이 해당되었으며, 당연적 품질은 총족되지 않을 경우 불만족을 야기함으로 관련 서비스 요소는 신중하게 다루어져야 한다. 마지막으로 무관심 품질은 ‘문화축제 및 체험활동 가능성’, ‘환전 서비스’ 등으로 나타났다. 무관심 품질은 만족과 불만족에 영향을 미치지 않는 품질요소이기에 각 서비스 주체들을 본 요소들을 염두에 두고 한정된 자원을 보다 중요한 요소에 집중하여 서비스를 계획하고 실행할 필요가 있다. 더불어 의료관광 서비스 품질향상을 위하여 제시된 Timko(1993)의 만족계수 및 불만족계수를 확인한 결과 매력적 품질은 모두 불만족계수보다 만족계수가 높았으며, 가장 높은 만족계수는 ‘관광지의 볼거리’로 나타났다. 당연적 품질의 경우 만족계수보다 불만족계수가 높아 당연적 품질에 속하는 요인들이 기본적으로 충족되지 않는 경우에 더 큰 불만족을 야기하는 것을 본 연구에서 확인할 수 있다. 본 연구는 의료관광의 특수한 상황을 반영한 서비스 품질요소를 추출하고, 일원적인 측정방법으로 확인하지 못한 서비스 품질요소를 중국인 관광객을 대상으로 분류하였다. 이를 통해 국내 의료관광을 경험하고자 하는 외국관광객에게 각 주체별로 만족스러운 의료관광을 제공하기 위한 방안의 제시와 우리나라 의료관광의 지속적 경쟁우위 확보를 위한 전략적 방향을 제공하고자 하였다. 향후 연구에서는 다양한 국가를 대상으로 연구를 진행할 필요가 있으며, 서비스 품질 인식 차이를 국가별로 파악하는 연구도 큰 의미가 있을 것이다.

의료관광객에 대한 의료관광서비스품질이 만족과 신뢰를 매개로 충성도에 미치는 영향

This study was to identify the effect of medical tourism service quality components such as processing, outcomes, and environment qualities as perceived by medical tourists in terms of the components of loyalty - reuse and recommendation intentions via satisfaction and reliability. To achieve this aim, we conducted a survey focused on medical tourists from Russia and Central Asia who had used medical institutions in Korea. We performed a structural equation model using a total of 255 data samples. The results of this analysis were as follows: First, it was confirmed that all the components of institutional service quality caused significantly positive effects on customer satisfaction. Second, coordinate service quality had a significantly positive effect on customer satisfaction. Third, satisfaction and reliability had significantly positive effects on the components of customer loyalty respectively. The results of this study will provide several theoretical and managerial implications and will suggest directions for future research.

Assessing Medical Tourism Service Quality and Satisfaction: Focus on the Russian Medical Tourists in South Korea

Assessing Medical Tourism Service Quality and Satisfaction: Focus on the Russian Medical Tourists in South Korea

Validation of Medical Tourism Service Quality Questionnaire (MTSQQ) for Iranian Hospitals.

IntroductionAssessing service quality is one of the basic requirements to develop the medical tourism industry. There is no valid and reliable tool to measure service quality of medical tourism. This study aimed to determine the reliability and validity of a Persian version of medical tourism service quality questionnaire for Iranian hospitals.MethodsTo validate the medical tourism service quality questionnaire (MTSQQ), a cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 Iraqi patients referred to hospitals in Ahvaz (Iran) from 2015. To design a questionnaire and determine its content validity, the Delphi Technique (3 rounds) with the participation of 20 medical tourism experts was used. Construct validity of the questionnaire was assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Data were analyzed by Excel 2007, SPSS version18, and Lisrel l8.0 software.ResultsThe content validity of the questionnaire with CVI=0.775 was confirmed. According to exploratory factor analysis, the MTSQQ included 31 items and 8 dimensions (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, exchange and travel facilities, technical and infrastructure facilities and safety and security). Construct validity of the questionnaire was confirmed, based on the goodness of fit quantities of model (RMSEA=0.032, CFI= 0.98, GFI=0.88). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.837 and 0.919 for expectation and perception questionnaire.ConclusionThe results of the study showed that the medical tourism SERVQUAL questionnaire with 31 items and 8 dimensions was a valid and reliable tool to measure service quality of medical tourism in Iranian hospitals.

The impact of Medical Tourism Service Quality on brand equity and also Recommendation Purpose

The impact of Medical Tourism Service Quality on brand equity and also Recommendation Purpose

방한중국인 의료관광객의 의료관광동기, 위험지각, 충성도간의 영향관계 연구 - 의료관광서비스품질의 매개효과 검증을 중심으로 -

The aims of this study is to investigate the causal relationship between medical tourism motivation, perceived risk and loyalty of Chinese medical tourists of Korea. In order to achieve the objective of this study, we conducted a survey to target the Chinese that there is medical tourism experience in Korea. Questionnaire questions include a medical tourism motivation, perceived risk, loyalty, and the items of medical tourism service quality, and the final 248 valid samples were used for empirical analysis. To test the reliability and validity, factor analysis was conducted. And to verify the hypotheses and mediation effects, multi-regression analysis was conducted. From the verification results of the hypotheses, all the hypotheses we made in this study are significant. It is discovered that there is a causal relationship among medical tourism motivation, perceived risk and loyalty. And it is also founded that mediating effects of medical tourism service quality between perceived risk and loyalty are identified and they are used to draw improvement methods for medical tourism service quality.

Using fuzzy gap analysis to measure service quality of medical tourism in Taiwan.

The purpose of this paper is intended to create a model to measure quality of service, using fuzzy linguistics to analyze the quality of service of medical tourism in Taiwan so as to find the direction for improvement of service quality in medical tourism. The study developed fuzzy questionnaires based on the characteristics of medical tourism quality of service in Taiwan. Questionnaires were delivered and recovered from February to April 2014, using random sampling according to the proportion of medical tourism companies in each region, and 150 effective samples were obtained. The critical quality of service level is found through the fuzzy gap analysis using questionnaires examining expectations and perceptions of customers, as the direction for continuous improvement. From the study, the primary five critical service items that improve the quality of service for medical tourism in Taiwan include, in order: the capability of the service provider to provide committed medical tourism services reliably and accurately, facility service providers in conjunction with the services provided, the cordial and polite attitude of the service provider eliciting a sense of trust from the customer, professional ability of medical (nursing) personnel in hospital and reliability of service provider. The contribution of this study is to create a fuzzy gap analysis to assess the performance of medical tourism service quality, identify key quality characteristics and provide a direction for improvement and development for medical tourism service quality in Taiwan.

Medical tourism service quality: finally some empirical findings

The purpose of this paper is to examine service quality, perceived value, overall satisfaction and future intention among medical tourists who seek treatment in Malaysian private hospitals. Self-administered questionnaire was the main method of data collection. Respondents comprised foreign patients who seek medical treatment, and/or related medical services such as tests and medical check-ups. Expatriates and foreign nationals residing in Malaysia were excluded. Altogether 173 responses were received and analysed by SPSS 17. Three dimensions of medical tourism service quality were identified, namely, medical staff quality, supporting services quality and administrative services quality. Medical staff quality was found to predict all three variables of patient satisfaction, perceived value and future intention for treatment. Very limited empirical research has been carried out with actual data from patients due to difficulty in getting access to international patients, and patients’ reluctance to participate. This study is among the first few which examines medical tourism service quality with actual patient data. The research identifies important constituents of medical tourism which may assist policy-makers and hospital managers in better understanding the industry.

Interrelations of service quality and service loyalty dimensions in medical tourism

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions of service quality as well as of service loyalty in the context of medical tourism. It seeks to demonstrate the conceptualization of medical tourism service loyalty (MTSL) construct. This research also attempts to examine the effect of service quality dimensions on service loyalty dimensions of medical tourism. Design/methodology/approach – The dimensions of service quality as well as of service loyalty are identified using an exploratory factor analysis. Next, the reliability and validity of the quality factors and loyalty factors are established through confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS 18.0 version. The related hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings – The paper identifies eight-factor construct for medical tourism service quality and three-factor construct for MTSL. It is found that the treatment satisfaction dimension of service quality has positive and significant impact on MTSL. It is also observed that, overall, medical tourism service quality has positive impact on MTSL. Practical implications – These dimensions of service quality should be viewed as the levers of improving perceived service quality with respect to medical tourism. Examining the service quality dimensions’ impact on customer loyalty for medical tourism sector can offer the industry valuable insights regarding which aspects of the service to focus on in order to improve medical tourist’s satisfaction and loyalty toward the firms. Originality/value – This paper introduces the concept of service quality and service loyalty in medical tourism sector. In conceptualizing MTSL, the authors propose an integration of behavioral measures, attitudinal measures and cognitive measures. The interrelationship between the service quality construct and medical loyalty construct was established using SEM. This is useful for the healthcare manager to measure the medical tourist’s perceptions of service quality on these dimensions as related to medical tourism performance.

Thailand's perceived medical tourism service quality: a content analysis of international patients' online testimonials

This research analyses medical tourists' perceptions of Thailand's medical tourism service quality. A content analysis of international patients' online testimonials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand's official medical tourism website shows that medical tourists have distinct perceptions of Thailand's medical tourism service quality, with the SERVQUAL dimensions assurance and reliability being mentioned most frequently. Service quality perceptions varied depending on patients' home country region, type of medical treatment received, if healthcare provider personnel were referred to in the testimonials, and whether Thailand was recommended as a medical tourism destination. Marketing communication implications of the results are discussed, including using assurance and reliability as risk-reducing cues, and future research ideas are submitted.

The relationship between income level and medical tourism service quality expectations

The research investigates if consumers’ expectations of the service quality of foreign healthcare facilities vary depending on their income level. The results show that there are significant differences in medical tourism service quality expectations between different income groups for all five service quality dimensions. The expectations of experienced medical tourists, i.e., consumers who have travelled abroad for medical care, differ between income groups for the reliability and assurance service quality dimensions. No differences in expectations, however, are found between the different income groups of consumers without medical tourism experience. The results suggest using income and medical tourism experience as segmentation variables when identifying potential medical tourist target markets. The study also has implications for managing medical tourists’ service quality expectations at the point of service delivery, particularly for the reliability and assurance dimensions.

The Effects of International Medical Tourism Service Quality on Perceived Value

The Effects of International Medical Tourism Service Quality on Perceived Value

An integrated approach for service quality improvement in medical tourism: an Indian perspective

This paper attempts to develop a medical tourism service quality construct that will be used for evaluation of the medical tourism service providers in India. Cross-sectional survey of medical tourists at seven hospitals including Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited and non-accredited hospitals across India is carried out and 332 responses are collected from seven hospitals. The data were collected between March 2010 and June 2010. Analysis of data helps to propose a 36-item scale. Ten dimensions of perceived medical tourism service quality are identified viz., accessibility/convenience, treatment satisfaction, courtesy, physical environment features, technical quality of care competency, promptness, facility premises, alternative therapy, finance factors for medical services and pharmaceutical services. Reliability, validity, and factor structure of the construct are evaluated. The interrelationship between medical tourism design requirements is identified using interpretative structural modelling (ISM). These aforesaid dimensions are treated as voice of customers (VoC) and 11 design requirements (medical tourism design requirements) from extensive literature review are treated as design requirement for employing quality function deployment (QFD) in order to prioritise the design requirements.