Explaining the Medical Tourism Model Using Thematic AnalysisA Case Study of Tehran University of Medical Sciences Hospitals

Medical tourism is the travel of patients to other countries to use cheaper and quality medical services than their own country, which is considered a sub-branch of health tourism. The economic and political function of medical tourism is one of its most important consequences for the host society. Also, according to the legal requirements of its implementation, the main research question is “What is the appropriate model for attracting medical tourists to Tehran Medical Sciences Hospitals?”. Therefore, the main goal of the research is to explain the model of attracting medical tourism in medical sciences hospitals in Tehran and to identify its components. In terms of purpose, the research method is applied and developmental. The data was collected from the field using the qualitative method. To design the model, 13 managers and experts of public hospitals under Tehran University of Medical Sciences were selected and a semi-structured interview was conducted, which was analyzed and coded based on theme analysis. After measuring the reliability (retest) and validity (reciprocity of the interviews) of the data, a proposed model was presented. Based on the obtained model, seven themes were identified: “behavioral quality of the treatment staff, professional quality of the treatment staff, treatment costs, quality medical centers, the perceived image of the medical brand, the quality of the treatment process, and the components of the treatment destination. The results showed that, according to the fit indicators, the model has sufficient validity and the identified themes are effective in attracting medical tourists.