Healthcare Tourism Dissertation Msc in Management
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Healthcare Tourism Mohamad Dabbagh SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION & LEGAL STUDIES A thesis proposal submitted for the degree of Master of Science (MSc) in Management November / 2017 Thessaloniki – Greece Student Name: Mohamad Dabbagh SID: 1102160006 Supervisor: Prof. Korina Katsaliaki -i- I hereby declare that the work submitted is mine and that where I have made use of another’s work, I have attributed the source(s) according to the Regulations set in the Student’s Handbook. November / 2017 Thessaloniki - Greece -ii- Abstract This dissertation was written as part of the MSc in Management at the International Hellenic University. Background: The phenomenon of healthcare tourism, which happens when patients travel overseas to receive medical treatment, is in rapid increase since the last decade. Medical tourists, medical agencies as well as their healthcare destination countries are encountering new demands and challenges as there is an increasing demand for research in the discipline owing to the new information obtained every year. Objective: The objective of this study is to provide an all-encompassing paper of healthcare tourism industry that would act as a guide for future studies where it provides food for thought in the field that can help to direct future studies. Similarly, this study would serve as a consulting paper for potential businesses by providing recommendations as well as clarification of what makes a good medical facilitator and destination. Methods: For this paper we performed a reading of mostly scientific journal articles around this field and we tried to create meaningful clusters of its main topics. Therefore, we followed it with a discussion around them dealing with the current state of healthcare tourism around the globe and its future aspects. The methodology of this paper is based on the selection of articles in the field of healthcare tourism by using bibliometric techniques from the Web of Science databases, published until May 2017. Around 195 where taken for content analysis in a qualitative and quantitative manner while others were excluded as they were not found relevant to healthcare tourism from a business perspective. The Nvivo 11 software was used to conduct text and content analysis as well as synthesis of the literature in thematic areas. Results: This paper illustrates the trends of the industry while it exponentially shows its evolution over time. Hence, it summarizes the existing knowledge by taking bits and pieces from most of the recently published healthcare tourism articles where it draws upon the main causes and effects of healthcare industry as well as the spread of it which yields to the great insight this paper gives to entrepreneurs, researchers, insurance companies, travel agents, national medical systems, governments, and the like that are interested in medical tourism and its application in the developing world context. Keywords: Health tourism, Medical tourism, Out of the Pocket Healthcare Tourists, Medical Destinations, Cost Savings Mohamad Dabbagh November / 2017 -iii- Acknowledgments I would first like to thank my thesis supervisor prof Korina Katsaliaki of the School of Economics, Business Administration & Legal Studies / MSc in Management at The International Hellenic University. The door to prof Korina's office was always open whenever I encountered a trouble or had a question about my research or writing. She consistently allowed this paper to be my own work, but steered me in the right direction whenever she thought I needed it. Secondly, I would also like to acknowledge prof Korina's PhD candidate Panagiota Galetsi of the School of Economics, Business Administration & Legal Studies / MSc in Operations & Technology Management at The International Hellenic University as I am gratefully indebted to her for her valuable comments on this thesis. Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my parents for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this dissertation. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. Thank you all, Mohamad Dabbagh -iv- Contents ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... III ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................... IV CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................ V INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................ 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................. 5 DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLICATION PER YEAR ............................................................................. 7 CATEGORIES OF HEALTH TOURISM ................................................................................. 9 HEALTH TOURISM .......................................................................................................... 10 Wellness Tourism ............................................................................................. 11 Medical Tourism .............................................................................................. 11 TRENDS ........................................................................................................................... 14 REVERSE GLOBALIZATION ......................................................................................... 15 ILLEGAL OR UNAVAILABLE PROCEDURES .................................................................. 16 STEM CELL PROCEDURES .......................................................................................... 17 COSMETIC PROCEDURES ............................................................................................ 18 THERAPEUTIC PROCEDURES ...................................................................................... 18 EXOTICISM OF HEALTHCARE TOURISM ...................................................................... 19 BABY BOOMERS ........................................................................................................ 20 ICT & HEALTHCARE TOURISM .................................................................................. 20 DEMOGRAPHICS & PROFILES OF HEALTHCARE TOURISTS ........................................... 21 OUT OF THE POCKET HEALTHCARE TOURISTS ........................................................... 23 Price Sensitive Healthcare Tourists ................................................................ 24 Quality Sensitive Healthcare Tourists ............................................................. 24 Common-Borders Healthcare Tourists ............................................................ 25 Medically Disenfranchised Healthcare Tourists ............................................. 25 Temporary Visitors Abroad ............................................................................. 26 -v- Long-Term Residents Abroad .......................................................................... 26 INSURER PROMPTED HEALTHCARE TOURISTS............................................................ 26 GOVERNMENT PROMPTED HEALTHCARE TOURISTS ................................................... 27 Importing Countries of Healthcare Tourism ................................................... 27 Exporting Countries of Healthcare Tourism ................................................... 28 MOTIVATIONS OF HEALTHCARE TOURISTS ................................................................ 28 Cost-Based Motivation .................................................................................... 29 Quality & Trust Motivation ............................................................................. 30 Cultural Similarity & Proximity ...................................................................... 30 MITIGATING FACTORS OF HEALTHCARE TOURISM .................................. 31 ETHICAL ISSUES ......................................................................................................... 32 Equity Issues .................................................................................................... 33 Quality of Care ................................................................................................ 34 RISKS & POST-TREATMENT ISSUES ............................................................................ 35 INFECTION ISSUES ...................................................................................................... 36 NEGATIVE WOM & LOW-QUALITY PERCEPTION ...................................................... 37 LEGAL RESTRICTIONS ISSUE ...................................................................................... 38 HIGH COSTS ISSUE ..................................................................................................... 38 BENEFITS OF HEALTHCARE TOURISM............................................................. 39 ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF HEALTHCARE TOURISM ...................................................... 39 SOCIAL BENEFITS OF HEALTHCARE TOURISM............................................................ 40 MEDICAL BENEFITS OF HEALTHCARE TOURISM .......................................................