Investigating medical tourism development indicators in Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute: A cross-sectional study

Milad Shafii; Farzan Madadizadeh; Roohollah Askari; Mohammad Zarezadeh; Ali Mohamad Abdoli; Sajjad Bahariniya

doi:10.18502/ijrm.v20i12.12565

Investigating medical tourism development indicators in Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute: A cross-sectional study

Int J Reprod Biomed. 2023 Jan 9;20(12):1039-1046. doi: 10.18502/ijrm.v20i12.12565. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

Milad Shafii¹, Farzan Madadizadeh², Roohollah Askari¹, Mohammad Zarezadeh¹, Ali Mohamad Abdoli³, Sajjad Bahariniya¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Services Management, Health Policy and Management Research Center, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
² Center for Healthcare Data Modeling, Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
³ Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Payingspecial attention to the development indicators of medical tourism (MT) can lead to the further development of this industry and tourists' satisfaction.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate MT development indicators in Yazd Reproductive Sciences Research Institute, Yazd, Iran in 2021.

Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 430 medical tourists referred to the Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Yazd, Iran in 2021 were studied. A researcher-made questionnaire with 46 questions and 10 dimensions was used in both internal and external environments to collect data. The Spearman correlation coefficient was also used to assess the correlation between the quantitative factors.

Results: The reliability and validity of the scale were confirmed. The mean $\pm$ SD of the advertising and marketing index scored was lower than the other internal environmental indices (15.05 $\pm$ 2.16). Also, the economic factors and tourism infrastructure were lower than the other external environmental factors (9.8 $\pm$ 1.99, 8.53 $\pm$ 2.11, respectively).

Conclusion: Given the importance of MT, top managers and relevant authorities should pay close attention to the criteria of advertising, marketing, and tourism infrastructure. MT demand can be improved by increasing the importance of advertising, implementing realistic advertising strategies, and developing adequate urban infrastructure and services.

Keywords: Advertising; Indicators; Infertility; Marketing; Reagents.; Medical tourism.