Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 MSc, Health Services Management, Department of Health Services Management, Health Management and Medical Informatics, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Health Services Management, Department of Health Services Management AND Health and Economics Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Health Services Management, Department of Health Services Management, Health Management and Medical Informatics, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
4 MSc, Biostatistics, Clinical Research Development Center, Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Medical tourism is one of the branches of the tourism industry and, due to its low cost vs. high income, many countries seek to maximize their competitive resources in order to develop this industry. Moreover, improving service quality is considered a key factor in gaining medical tourists' satisfaction. In Iran, Shiraz is one of the main destinations of medical tourists; therefore, the present study aimed to determine medical tourists' expectations and perceptions of the quality of services provided by hospitals in Shiraz, Iran. Methods: The current study is an analytical, applied, and cross-sectional study which was carried out in 2013. The study population consisted of 200 medical tourists who referred to hospitals in Shiraz (Ordibehesht, Doctor Khodadoust, Pars, Madar and Koudak, and Markazi and Dena). In order to collect information, an adaptation of the SERVQUAL questionnaire was used. The validity of this questionnaire was approved by experts and its reliability was confirmed separately for expectations and perceptions using Cronbach’s alpha (90% and 89%, respectively). Data were analyzed using paired t-test in SPSS software. Results: The findings of this study showed negative gaps in all dimensions of quality. Overall quality gap was estimated to be -0.38. The largest gap pertained to the dimension of reliability (-0.6) and the smallest was related to the dimension of access to care (-0.08). Conclusion: The present study showed that the quality of services did not correspond to medical tourists’ expectations and needed improvement. Moreover, improving the reliability aspect of the services provided by hospitals can be an effective factor in increasing the satisfaction of medical tourists.
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