• 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.

• 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 Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.373-385
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• 2022

Due to the lack of information, medical tourists are regarded to be at high risk. Prior medical tourism research has found that various types of perceived risks have a significant impact on medical tourists' purchase behavior. Even though medical tourism is predicted to increase, there is a lack of behavioral research to explain how perceived risks affect medical tourists' purchase behavior. In the context of Korean medical tourism, this study attempts to evaluate the effects of multi-level (macro, organizational, and personal) factors on medical tourists' perceived risks and purchase intentions. A conceptual model and hypotheses were built and empirically validated to investigate links between multi-level characteristics, perceived risks, and purchasing intentions. The data for this study was collected from Chinese tourists using a questionnaire. The impact of cognitive country image, affective country image, and medical service quality on fundamental risk is confirmed by statistical testing. Surprisingly, expectancy discrepancy risk is influenced only by cognitive country image and information search capabilities. Both fundamental and expectation discrepancy risks lower medical tourists' purchase intentions. The findings of this study show that a multi-level strategy is required to investigate the links between perceived risks and medical tourism purchasing intentions based on macro, organizational, and personal factors.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.9 no.8
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• pp.102-109
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• 2019

Despite of advanced plans from Korean government to encourage Korean medical tourism, the medical tourism in Korea is still under competitive compared to the countries including Thailand, Singapore, and India, in which the government has been driving the development in industries of medical tourism, Moreover, the studies identifying the factors affecting tourists' satisfaction has not been actively performed up to date. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate the influences of quality of medical service, accessibility, cost adequacy, and quality of tourism of Korean medical tourism on Chinese tourists' satisfaction and revisit intention. For the purpose of empirical study, a survey has been conducted to Chinese medical tourists. Findings are as follows. First, the factors of medical tourism attributes including quality of medical service, cost adequacy, and quality of tourism have turned out to have positive effects on medical tourists' satisfaction. Second, tourists' satisfaction has a positive effect on revisit intention.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.165-190
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• 2010

Objectives : This study was supposed to investigate factors which influence to preference of medical tourism products of Japanese tourists in Seoul, Korea. Methods : Data were collected from 228 Japanese tourists who visited' Seoul Center for Culture & Tourism' in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Korea. We measured factors which influence to preference for medical tourism. The data were analyzed by T-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. Results : The major findings were as follows ; Japanese tourists preferred medical products in the order of skin care, oriental medicine treatment, health screening, and scaling & teeth whitening. They considered technical level of medical staff most importantly, followed by safety of medical products, communication during diagnosis and treatment, follow-up service, modernization of medical facilities and equipment, and the reasonable medical expenses. Japanese tourists' preferred medical institutions in the order of a university hospital, a specialty clinic, a special hospital, They said they intend to pay 50,000 to 150,000 yen for medical tourism. The preference to medical tourism products are that single women group in their twenties and thirties for skin care, married people group aged over thirties preferred oriental medicine treatment, and married men aged over forties and high income earners favored health screening. Conclusions : It should be considered carefully that the preference exists on some factors especially for Japanese tourist. Further research about preference on medical tourism products for tourists from the other countries is required appropriately to fulfill the needs.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.115-124
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• 2016

Background: This study aims at making a survey on health care service providers' cultural competence and making an appraisal of Chinese medical tourists on service quality, health care service providers' cultural competence, perceived value, and satisfaction. Methods: The data was collected from August until November, 2014 and 150 health care service providers and 65 Chinese medical tourists from 12 medical institutions in Daegu were enrolled in analysis. Results: The results showed that health care service provider's knowledge on Chinese culture was very low with 33.5% of correct answer. Health care service providers were found to get 3.82 point on a 5 point-scale in cultural perception, 3.53 points in cultural sensitivity, and 2.85 points in cultural skills. Chinese medical tourists were analyzed to give 4.08 points on a 5-point scale to satisfaction on health care service, followed by 4.01 points to health care service quality, 4.00 points to perceived value of health care service, and last 3.85 points to a health care service providers' cultural skills. However, there was a difference in points in cultural skills between health care service providers and Chinese medical tourists. Chinese medical tourists' satisfaction with health care service in Daegu was found to be comparatively high, but in relation to satisfaction with communication, it was found to be relatively low. Conclusion: Through this research, health care service providers' knowledge level of Chinese culture and cultural skills were low while they seemed to take a half-hearted attitude towards educational experience for building up cultural competence and foreign patient service response.

• 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 Commerce and Information Review
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.3-25
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• 2013

With the ever-changing medical tourist environment, the study has delved into issues ranging from judged value on medical tourist service quality and its effect on the service level and recurring rate of return visit through the quantitative analysis with the survey for a group of tourists from Japan, China, USA and the interview survey on medical specialist on tourists. Verifying the Hypothesis 1 reveals the assertion that quality of medical service for tourists has effected upon the functional value has proven to be true except the cases on responsiveness and accessibility. And the assumption that the quality of medical service for tourists has effected upon the emotional value has proven to be true except the case on accessibility. The paper has its limitation in that it is confined to medical tourists of small numbers of target countries, relatively short survey period. The study shall be followed by the further analysis on the factors for medical tourists' personal and societal effect

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.687-711
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• 2009

This research was conducted to explore the factors that cause medical tourists' dissatisfaction, and find ways to solve the tourists' problems by researching on the relationship between the service recovery and the failure of medical services. Also, the research has put more emphasis on establishing marketing strategies that enable Japanese medical tourists to actively visit Korea, and finding out the effects that the medical tourists satisfaction and trust have on their behavioral intentions, recommendations, and positive feedbacks. The summary of the research analysis results as follows. First, the service recovery after the service failure has positive influences on the medical tourist's satisfaction. Second, the service recovery has proven its positive influences on the tourists' trusts and behavioral intentions. Third, the satisfaction of the service recovery has built the mutual trust between the tourists' and the medical center, and this has positive influences on the customer's behavioral intentions. Finally, the research was conducted to analyze the moderating effects on the relationship between the service recovery and the recovery satisfaction. It was found that the medical service failure recognition type has proven no moderating effects.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.17-34
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• 2011

Recently, medical market has been changing not for the sake of treatment of the disease but for high quality of health. Therefore, South Korea medical tourism service needs to understand and improve for the differences perceptions of medical tourists and health professionals for customer satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to understand the structure of medical tourism market through theoretical consideration and to suggest the factors which need to be taken precedence for improvement of South Korea medical tourism service through analysis differences between consumers and suppliers. To analyze the difference of awareness, we reconstructed the questionnaires focussing on evaluation factors and articles about medical tourists selection attributes and health professionals way to invigoration through previous research and precedence study. After that, we also collected the data based on reconstructed questionnaires. After we compared each collected responses from medical tourists and health professionals, also analyzed the differences of awareness by applying Johari's Window to those differences. In conclusion, there is no relation between medical tourist and health professionals about th differences of awareness in functional quality and cost that is a direct effect to transaction in current medical tourism of South Korea. In contrast, there are differences of awareness between a process which support medical tourism and technical quality. Therefor, we expect to invigorate medical tourism by innovation of supportive process and technical quality.