Local Clients Escape: Identifying Essential Factors Affecting Native Patients' Preference for Other City Medical Centers

Referrals to medical centers provide the necessary incentives to invest in this area, and therefore attracting native patients is of paramount importance. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to identify the major factors affecting the preference of medical centers in other cities by the native patients of Sarab.

Referrals to medical centers provide the necessary incentives to invest in this area, and therefore attracting native patients is of paramount importance. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to identify the major factors affecting the preference of medical centers in other cities by the native patients of Sarab.

The results showed that 9 factors of capacity, cultural-social, diversity of health centers, human resources, mental image and public trust, managerial, behavioral, services, and medical equipment were identified as the main factors influencing the preference of medical centers in other cities.

Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that the planners of Sarab city health centers consider the factors identified in this study in order to prevent local patients from leaving the city for treatment.