Medical Tourism: Cultural beliefs, expectations of patients and quality of experience in a destination hospital

Background: Medical tourism (MT) involves international travel to receive medical care and India has become a leading MT destination on account of affordability (60-80 percent cheaper than the developed nations), accreditation by Joint Commission International and National Accreditation Board for Hospitals, highly skilled doctors, advanced healthcare facilities and short waiting times. Research has consistently shown that shows that poor cultural awareness result in MT patient misunderstandings, poor quality of clinical experience, and non-adherence to post operative medical advice. Methods: This self-reported, questionnaire based, cross-sectional study was conducted at a NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) and JCI (Joint Commission International) accredited, and Government of India designated healthcare institution for MT in New Delhi. A convenient sampling technique was utilized to select a sample originally comprising 1,600 medical tourism patients. Data were analysed using multiple linear regression tests and Smart PLS for mediation-moderation and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results: The results show that international patients develop certain beliefs about cultural sensitivity practiced in a destination hospital from various information sources. These beliefs create culture and communication expectations about responsive MT services, which, in turn, influences the perceived quality of their experience regarding communication accommodation in the clinical encounter. Conclusion: Expectation management and confidence building of MT patients are the two critical activities that designated MT hospitals could adopt. Apart from designing and developing training programmes in intercultural communication (ICC), hospitals can develop belief in India’s capability as a reliable medical tourist hub by investing in MT websites. Information regarding Indian culture and tourism potential along with inclusion of simulations based on augmented reality (AR) and Virtual reality (VR) could be uploaded to show how Indian doctors convergently accommodate with patients belonging to different nationalities.