Hospital’s Challenges in Providing Healthcare Services to Medical Tourists: A Phenomenological Study at the National Level

Abstract

Background: Hospitals play a crucial role in providing medical services to medical tourists and their satisfaction; however, they face many problems in this field. Objectives: This study aimed to explain hospitals’ challenges in providing healthcare services to medical tourists. Methods: In this qualitative-phenomenological study conducted in 2021, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, purposive sampling, and the participation of 21 key informants involved in hospitals and medical tourism industries in six large cities in Iran. They were then analyzed using the thematic analysis method with the MAXQDA-10 software. Results: Hospital challenges were included in 165 final codes. The six main ones were governance and leadership, financing, human resources, technology-equipment-medicine, information systems, and service delivery. Three categories of structure, process, and outcomes related to medical tourism were also identified. Conclusions: Improving the information and communication infrastructure, developing the activities of facilitator companies, updating the standards of the International Patient Department (IPD), compiling guidelines related to insurance, and setting tariffs are suggestions that can help reduce the existing challenges.