Feasibility on the Development of the Medical Tourism at Military and Civilian Hospitals in Tabriz

Medical tourism is one of the most important industries in the field of health care, which not only protects the interests of the national economy, but also guides the health and treatment process, including access to optimal, cheap and fast medical services. The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate the feasibility of influential components and suggest ways to develop the medical tourism in military and civilian hospitals in Tabriz, Iran.

This applied and hybrid study was conducted in two qualitative and quantitative stages. The research population in the qualitative section was medical tourism experts and authorities related to tourism in Tabriz hospitals and tourists referred to hospitals and medical experts in the field of medicine. Sample size in the qualitative phase was 10 people and in quantitative phase 7 people who were selected by purposeful sampling. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data in the qualitative phase to reach the saturation level and in the quantitative phase the dimensional technique was used. Qualitative data analysis was performed using MAXQDA10 software and quantitative data were analyzed with MATLAB software. Data collection was performed over 2019. Experts approved the various stages of the design for validity and reliability.

 After conducting interviews and eliminating overlaps, 72 initial codes were obtained. The initial codes were then classified into 5 themes (quality of service, cost, medical staff, medical equipment, facilities and amenities) and 23 sub-themes. The qualitative phase results were then analyzed to determine significance using the dimensional collective decision-making method in six steps, the most important of which were sub-themes. 

 According to the goals of medical tourism development research in military and civilian hospitals in Tabriz, it requires paying attention to setting up IPDs and VIP rooms, proportional to the competitive price of patient origin, recruiting and training physicians and medical staff, using health technology assessment science (HTA) and facilitates the patient admission process to improve the quality of services and attract medical tourists. The development of medical tourism alongside services and urban facilities requires in-hospital factors and, above all, the quality of services in line with international standards, in-hospital welfare services, up-to-date medical equipment and trained staff and departments plus the role of skills. Linguistic communication is also very significant.