• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.41-50
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• 2013

Objectives: As a newcomer to the medical tourism industry, Korea needs to differentiate itself from the leading competing countries to vitalize its early-stage medical tourism industry. This study aims to introduce a strategic plan to vitalize the Korean integrated medical tourism so that Korea can differentiate itself from competing countries and create high added value. Methods: The concept and actual conditions of medical tourism and Oriental medical tourism were examined. A plan to differentiate Korea from the competing countries in the medical tourism industry was studied to create high added-value through strategic vitalization of its medical tourism industry. Results: Korean integrated medical tourism must be developed differently from those of other South-East Asian countries in order to strategically promote the cash-cow medical tourism industry. In order to develop such medical tourism, Korean medical practice, which integrates Western and Oriental medicine, is to be developed through mutual understanding and fusion of other disciplines among medical doctors and Oriental medical doctors who are working in local healthcare for health promotion of local residents and disease prevention and control. This will play a key role in developing a unique medical tourism product of Korea by means of strategic alliances as an integrated medicine. Manpower specialized for integrated medicine is to be specially supplied for Oriental medicine-related business lines at city, county and borough levels, among local governments, that are enthusiastically carrying forward Oriental medical tourism with an interest to promoting more active and strategic business development and raise the effectiveness and efficiency of public health centers handling related medical tourism. Manpower specialized for Korean integrated medical tourism is to be specially supplied for the Ministry of Culture, Health and Tourism, a policy control tower to develop and vitalize high value-added fusion (theme) tourism products such as the Korean integrated medical tourism, in order to discover, promote and support Korean integrated medical tourism's differences from existing medical tourism. Conclusions: The differentiated integrated medical tourism that only Korea can offer in a variety of forms, in order to create a key area of high value-added medical tourism, should be strategically vitalized through a liaison between integrated medicine and tourism and the realization of patient-centered health care services with medical technology developed based on mutual understanding of Western and Oriental medicine.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.9-16
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was purposed to gain basic information for design of medical tourism for Japanese tourists using traditional Korean medicine (KTM). Methods: A questionnaire regarding Korean traditional medical tourism was administered to Japanese tourists. 224 valid responses were selected, and their awareness of KTM, preferred subject and decision factors for participation in Korea traditional medical tourism were analyzed by SPSS 19.0 version. Results: 23.6% of surveyees gave a positive answer on interest in medical tourism of KTM and 44.6% showed a middle degree. The most preferred subject was medical check-up followed by skin aesthetics, orthopedics and gynecology. Communication, medical skill level, hospital facilities and medical expenses were indicated as the important factor for participation's decision on KTM-based medical tourism. Conclusions: KTM-based medical tourism could be a driving motor of medical tourism in Korea. The medical check & skin care associated medical services are recommended, and the public relationship for awareness of KTM supported by government is strongly required for acquisition of Japanese tourists.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2012

Objectives : This study aimed to obtain general information for the design of a medical tourism plan toward Chinese using Korean medicine (KM). Methods : A questionnaire was asked of Chinese tourists regarding of Korea traditional medical tourism. 148 valid responses were obtained and their awareness of KM, and preferred subject and decision factors for their participation in Korea traditional medical tourism were analyzed using SPSS version 12.0. Results : 72% of respondents showed over a moderate degree of interest in medical tourism of KM. The most preferred subject was skin aesthetics, followed by medical check-ups and rehabilitation. Medical skill level, communication, and medical cost were indicated as the important factors for participants' decisions about KM-based medical tourism. Conclusions : Medical tourism could be a potential avenue for development by the KM-based Korean medical industry. Cosmetic-associated medical services are recommended, and enhanced public relations about KM-medical skill levels are strongly suggested for Chinese tourists.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.255-262
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• 2020

Recently, medical tourism is recognized as a high value-added industry because of its longer period of stay and higher expenditure than general tourism. In particular, although the number of medical tourists visiting Korea is increasing, the perception of Korean medical services is low. The purpose of this paper is to develop the app which, based on medical tourism type, recommends tourism destinations. Additionally, this proposed app can expand general tourism as well. It can provide tourists with medical information easily by sorting types tourists. Besides, as medical tourists normally stay long, we can take the advantage of post-treatment time. This app collects medical information data and tourist destination data, and categorizes the types of medical tourists into four categories: disease medical tourism, traditional medical tourism, cosmetic medical tourism, and recreational medical tourism. It provides medical information according to each type and recommends customized tourist destinations. User-based collaborative filtering is applied for tourist destination recommendations.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.193-202
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• 2019

Purpose : The study was conducted to analyze the differences in perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge of health tourism students' medical tourism industry as a basic data for improving the curriculum for human resource development that can be activated by the medical tourism industry. Methods : The questionnaires were directly distributed and retrieved from 394 university students attending 4 year college health department and tourism department of some regions (IRB approval number, KW-2017-05). The questionnaire used the Likert 5-point scale to analyze differences in perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge levels in the medical tourism industry. Independent sample t tests were conducted to examine the differences in perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge about the medical tourism industry between the two groups. Results : Results obtained from this study are as follows. 1. Differences in perceptions of the medical tourism industry were 3.44 points for health and 3.45 points for tourism (p<.05). 2. The difference in attitude level was 2.28 for health and 2.79 for tourism. And that tourism has a high perception and attitude. The knowledge of medical tourism industry was 5.93 in health department and 7.11 in sight tourism, and the tourism sector was significantly higher (p<.001). 3. As a result of analysis on attitudes, interest, direct and indirect experience, practical knowledge acquisition, and development possibility were all statistically significant. 4. 98.6 % of the health students and 97.8 % of the tourism students did not obtain the qualification for the qualification of the international medical tourism coordinator. However, in the future, respondents who answered that they have obtained the certificate of international medical tourism coordinator responded positively to 54.9 % of tourism department and 25.2 % of health department. Conclusion : A systematic education of the medical tourism industry will improve the level of human resource development in the medical tourism industry, including the acquisition of international medical tourism coordinator certification, as well as the level of medical tourism industry awareness, knowledge and attitude.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2009

1. Objective : This study aims to evaluate the medical tourism structures in countries with prosperous medical tourism industry such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and India in order ro propose optimal strategies that can promote the medical tourism in Korea. 2. Methods : All pertinent literature concerning medical tourism directly and indirectly were assessed, and reviews of medical tourism strategies found in various countries were evaluated. 3. Results : Evaluation of related literature reveals that medical tourism is a recent burgeoning industry that has grown In market size considerably in the last five to ten years. Also, it shows that oriental medicine is a highly likely candidate amidst the various medical fields for attraction foreign patients. 4. Conclusion : The Korean government should support and install appropriate legal and administrative bodies in order to attract medical tourists; Korea-specific medical tourism programs (ie. traditional Korean medicine package tours) should be developed in order to attract medical tourists from the western world and the middle-east. In addition, low-price policy of medical tourism is not a proper strategies for the competition against advanced medical tourism destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and India. Differentiated medical tourism package such as oriental medical tourism program rather than provision of low-price policy seems to be more effective strategy for the medical tourism in Korea. Future studies on strategies for promoting medical tourism should focus on how foreigners recognize traditional Korean medicine, what diagnostic approach might be appealing to them and how the legal system concerning the medical procedures may be altered and modified.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.367-379
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• 2014

Background: Over the last decade, medical tourism industry has grown in Korea. Especially the number of Mongolian medical tourists has increased rapidly. Therefore, the Mongolia is one of the targets for Korea medical tourism. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of destination image and expected attributes of medical services on Mongolian's intention to use Korean medical tourism service. Methods: This study empirically collected survey data from Mongolian lived in Mongolia. The study analyzed the data using a PLS model. Results: Our results are as follows. First, the country image didn't significantly have causal effects on expected medical service quality and perceived risk. Second, tourism image (e.g., entertainment, economic feasibility, and local convenience) has significantly causal effects on expected medical service quality and perceived risk. However, tourist site as tourism image didn't significantly have causal effects on expected medical service quality and perceived risk. Third, medical image made a statistically significant effect on expected medical service quality and perceived risk. Fourth, the expected medical service quality showed a significant effect on intention to use Korean medical tourism service. Fifth, the perceived risk of medical tourism showed a significant effect on the reliability of medical tourism, but didn't show a significant effect on the intention to use Korean medical tourism service. Finally, the reliability has a significant effect on the intention to use Korean medical tourism service. Conclusion: From our empirical results, this study concluded that as a strategy attracting Mongolian patients, it is more effective to strengthen Korean hospital image and tourism image than Korean country image.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.32-45
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to develop two medical tourism system models which explain medical tourism phenomenon with a systemic approach. Methodology/Approach: This research was conducted using a qualitative data analysis which mainly refer previous references in relation to medical tourism in the areas of tourism and medicine. Leiper's tourism system model was utilized as a conceptual framework. In-depth interviews with experts in the area were attempted in order to pretest the models. Findings: This research suggests a medical tourism system framework and a medical service provision framework. The first model presents medical tourism components and their relationships within a framework presented in a diagram. The second model shows the relationships among medical services required by medical tourists, the service providers, and service human resources along with movements of medical tourists. Practical Implications: The first model presents a spatial composition of medical tourism components and their relationships, whereas the second model shows the linkage among medical services, the service providers, and relevant service human resources along with time sequential steps of medical tourists. These two models are complementary and may be used as useful tools to observe medical tourism phenomenon with a systemic and holistic approach. These two models may enable stake holders avoid unnecessary confusions and conflicts that result in duplication of government policies and a waste of budget and human resources.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.857-863
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to investigate the awareness and activation towards dental medical tourism. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 195 dental hygienists in Seoul from January 30 to September 15, 2014. Data were analyzed by one way ANOVA, chi square and t test using SPSS 19.0 program. the questionnaire consisted of general characteristics of the subjects, awareness towards medical tourism, medical tourism related hospitals, activation of Korean medical tourism, fields of medical tourism, and improvement of medical tourism. The questionnaire was adapted and modified from Kim and Kim by Likert scale. Results: Dental hygienists gave the high perception and possibility towards medical tourism (94.1%). Those carrying out medical tourism accounted for 39.5 percent. The most difficult problem was communication with foreigners (80.5%). The performance of prosthesis and anesthesia was the most specialized area that supported the medical tourism (84.1%). In order to improve the medical tourism implementation, dental medical technology must be strengthened (39.8%). Conclusion: The desirable dental medical tourism must be carried out by proficient dental medical manpower, higher technology, active participation and financial support by the government. This dental medical tourism will provide job opening for the dental hygienists.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.715-722
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to suggest an effective future development direction of dental medical tourism in Korea by examining dental hygienists' perception of medical tourism and factors which are necessary to boost medical tourism. Methods : The subjects in this study were the dental hygienists who worked in Seoul. The study was conducted on 189 people who participated in refresher training, which was held in November 2010, by the Seoul Dental Hygienist Association. Self-administered questionnaire surveys were used. Results : 1. 106 people (56.1%) responded that medical tourism is "a tour to treat illness" and 73 (39.5%) responded that the introduction of medical tourism is "timely." 2. opposition against the introduction of medical tourism accounted for the highest proportion (61.6%) and the reason for it was "concern for mushrooming of untested types of medical treatment." 3. 131 people (71.6%) responded that they are willing to participate in medical treatment of medical tourism and 172 (93.0% of participants) cited "communication" as a most difficult issue. 4. Those who recognized medical tourism proved to have higher intentions to invest time and money to prepare for it (p<.002). Conclusions : In order to boost medical tourism, a unified treatment program for foreigners and training program for medical staff throughout the hospitals should be established.