Designing a Comprehensive Model for Health Tourism with a Commercial Orientation

Tourism has become a method of conducting business worldwide, and health tourism, driven by individuals' need for medical treatment, can also contribute to commercialization efforts. This dissertation aims to design a comprehensive model for health tourism with a commercial orientation. The research employs a mixed-methods approach (qualitative-quantitative). In the qualitative phase, grounded theory was utilized with MAXQDA۱۴ software to identify the indicators related to health tourism with a commercial orientation. Participants in the qualitative phase included informed experts with notable insights and publications in the research domain. Based on the theoretical saturation criterion, ۱۶ participants were purposefully selected. In the quantitative phase, a developmental-applied method was employed. The statistical population for the quantitative phase comprised all healthcare professionals and specialist physicians in six selected public and private hospitals. The total statistical population consisted of ۱,۴۰۶ individuals (based on hospital websites). Cochran's formula was applied to determine the sample size for the quantitative phase, resulting in ۳۰۶ individuals selected through stratified random sampling. The findings culminated in a paradigmatic model comprising six variables: foundational and constitutive factors, phenomenon, developmental factors, strategic factors, limiting factors, and outcomes. In the quantitative phase, among the components, organizational factors exhibited the highest impact (coefficient = ۰.۸۸۹), while healthcare costs had the least impact (coefficient = ۰.۷۱۸). Ultimately, the final model demonstrated that developmental factors had the greatest influence on strategies (coefficient = ۰.۹۱۸), followed by the main phenomenon's impact on strategies (coefficient = ۰.۹۱۷), foundational factors on the phenomenon (coefficient = ۰.۹۱۴), intervening factors on strategies (coefficient = ۰.۸۸۸), and strategies on outcomes (coefficient = ۰.۶۱۹). Tourism has become a method of conducting business worldwide, and health tourism, driven by individuals' need for medical treatment, can also contribute to commercialization efforts. This dissertation aims to design a comprehensive model for health tourism with a commercial orientation. The research employs a mixed-methods approach (qualitative-quantitative). In the qualitative phase, grounded theory was utilized with MAXQDA۱۴ software to identify the indicators related to health tourism with a commercial orientation. Participants in the qualitative phase included informed experts with notable insights and publications in the research domain. Based on the theoretical saturation criterion, ۱۶ participants were purposefully selected. In the quantitative phase, a developmental-applied method was employed. The statistical population for the quantitative phase comprised all healthcare professionals and specialist physicians in six selected public and private hospitals. The total statistical population consisted of ۱,۴۰۶ individuals (based on hospital websites). Cochran's formula was applied to determine the sample size for the quantitative phase, resulting in ۳۰۶ individuals selected through stratified random sampling. The findings culminated in a paradigmatic model comprising six variables: foundational and constitutive factors, phenomenon, developmental factors, strategic factors, limiting factors, and outcomes. In the quantitative phase, among the components, organizational factors exhibited the highest impact (coefficient = ۰.۸۸۹), while healthcare costs had the least impact (coefficient = ۰.۷۱۸). Ultimately, the final model demonstrated that developmental factors had the greatest influence on strategies (coefficient = ۰.۹۱۸), followed by the main phenomenon's impact on strategies (coefficient = ۰.۹۱۷), foundational factors on the phenomenon (coefficient = ۰.۹۱۴), intervening factors on strategies (coefficient = ۰.۸۸۸), and strategies on outcomes (coefficient = ۰.۶۱۹).

کلیدواژه ها:

Tourism ، health tourism ، commercial orientation