Factors Affecting Destination Choice in Medical Tourism

Introduction: Although many factors can affect the choice of destination in medical tourism, some factors are indispensable to medical tourists and medical tourism. The aim of this study was to analyze important factors affecting the selection of a destination by potential medical tourists. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study, conducted in Turkey, included a population of 1700 people and a sample size of 317 people selected through purposive sampling. Values were evaluated with a 95% confidence interval and 0.05 standard error. A value of P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The medical tourism scale and a demographic information form were used in data collection. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and path analysis were used as statistical methods. Analyses were made using IBM SPSS-AMOS 25.0. Results: In this study, 56.5% of the participants were male and 43.5% were female. The factors affecting the selection of medical tourism destinations were determined to be, in order of importance, accessibility of health care service (X̄ = 4.68 ± 1.073), level of security and safety (X̄ = 4:57 ± 1.122), quality of health care service (X̄ = 4:39 ± 1.129), level of hygiene (X̄ = 4.16 ± 1.381), potential of savings-low cost (X̄ = 4.07 ± 1.447), and tourism opportunities (X̄ = 4.02 ± 1.540). Conclusion: It is thought that the current study will make a serious contribution to the field of medical tourism both in practice and in theory.