Experiences of oncology healthcare personnel in international medical service quality: a phenomenological study

Abstract

Background With the globalization of medical services on the rise, Asia has ascended to a destination of choice for its high-quality medical services at very reasonable rates. Monitoring the quality of the international medical industry is vital to maintain service demand. The experiences of healthcare personnel (HCP) involved in international medical services (IMS) regarding the provision of services to international cancer patients have not yet been discussed. This study aimed to explore oncology HCP experiences of IMS quality in caring for international cancer patients in Taiwan. Methods Descriptive phenomenological method and were analyzed through Colaizzi’s seven-step approach. In this study, 19 respondents were collected data by using in-depth semi-structured interviews. An average interview lasted approximately 45 min. Results Four major themes were identified from the interviews: patient selection, psycho-oncology care, predicaments, and promoting suggestions. Additionally, thirteen subthemes emerged, including necessary selection of patients, reasons for unwillingness to enroll international patients, helpless patients, emotional distress, care with warmth, insufficient manpower, an unfair reward mechanism, poor hardware equipment, the predicaments of oncology care, various publicity strategies, one-on-one service model, design of a designated area, and reasonable benefit distribution. Conclusions This study explored oncology HCP experiences of IMS quality in caring for international cancer patients, with implications for hospitals in developing high-quality IMS. Due to the fact that IMS is a global trend, HCPs, administrators, and policy-makers are advised to improve the quality of IMS in the oncology department, which has been the least studied field in IMS quality.

Cross-border healthcare-seeking and utilization behaviours among ethnic minorities: exploring the nexus of the perceived better option and public health concerns

“…However, it is projected that Hong Kong will face a shortage of more than 3,000 nurses by 2025 and 5,000 by 2040 [ 37 ]. Drawing from the experience of medical tourism in Taiwan [ 38 ], the surge of cross-border healthcare users may infringe upon the rights of local residents. Therefore, policymakers should focus on improving hospital infrastructure and increasing the provision of healthcare personnel to mitigate the potential negative impacts on the local population [ 39 ].…”