Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA (55419), USA.
Global Health. 2011 Oct 14;7:40. doi: 10.1186/1744-8603-7-40.
Medical tourism companies play an important role in promoting transnational medical travel for elective, out-of-pocket medical procedures. Though researchers are paying increasing attention to the global phenomenon of medical tourism, to date websites of medical tourism companies have received limited scrutiny. This article analyzes websites of Canadian medical tourism companies that advertised international healthcare but ultimately exited the marketplace. Using content analysis of company websites as an investigative tool, the article provides a detailed account of medical tourism companies that were based in Canada but no longer send clients to international health care facilities.
Internet searches, Google Alerts, searches on Google News Canada and ProQuest Newsstand, and searches of an Industry Canada database were used to locate medical tourism companies located in Canada. Once medical tourism companies were identified, the social science research method of content analysis was used to extract relevant information from company websites. Company websites were analyzed to determine: 1) where these businesses were based; 2) the destination countries and medical facilities that they promoted; 3) the health services they advertised; 4) core marketing messages; and 5) whether businesses marketed air travel, hotel accommodations, and holiday excursions in addition to medical procedures.
In total, 25 medical tourism companies that were based in Canada are now defunct. Given that an estimated 18 medical tourism companies and 7 regional, cross-border medical travel facilitators now operate in Canada, it appears that approximately half of all identifiable medical tourism companies in Canada are no longer in business. 13 of the previously operational companies were based in Ontario, 7 were located in British Columbia, 4 were situated in Quebec, and 1 was based in Alberta. 14 companies marketed medical procedures within a single country, 9 businesses marketed health care at 2 or more destination nations, and 2 companies did not specify particular health care destinations. 22 companies operated as "generalist" businesses marketing many different types of medical procedures. 3 medical tourism companies marketed "specialist" services restricted to dental procedures or organ transplants. In general, medical tourism companies marketed health services on the basis of access to affordable, timely, and high-quality care. 16 businesses offered to make travel arrangements, 20 companies offered to book hotel reservations, and 17 medical tourism companies advertised holiday excursions.
This article provides a detailed empirical analysis of websites of medical tourism companies that were based in Canada but exited the marketplace and are now inoperative. The article identifies where these companies were located in Canada, what countries and health care facilities they selected as destination sites, the health services they advertised, how they marketed themselves in a competitive environment, and what travel-related services they promoted in addition to marketing health care. The paper reveals a fluid marketplace, with many medical tourism companies exiting this industry. In addition, by disclosing identities of companies, providing their websites, archiving these websites or print copies of websites for future studies, and analyzing content of medical tourism company websites, the article can serve as a useful resource for future studies. Citizens, health policy-makers, clinicians, and researchers can all benefit from increased insight into Canada's medical tourism industry.
医疗旅游公司在促进自费跨国医疗旅行方面发挥着重要作用。尽管研究人员越来越关注全球医疗旅游现象，但迄今为止，医疗旅游公司的网站受到的审查有限。本文分析了加拿大医疗旅游公司的网站，这些公司宣传国际医疗保健，但最终退出了市场。本文利用公司网站的内容分析作为研究工具，详细描述了总部设在加拿大但不再向国际医疗机构输送客户的医疗旅游公司。
使用互联网搜索、谷歌警报、谷歌新闻加拿大和 ProQuest Newsstand 搜索以及加拿大工业部数据库搜索，定位位于加拿大的医疗旅游公司。一旦确定了医疗旅游公司，就会使用社会科学研究方法内容分析从公司网站中提取相关信息。分析公司网站以确定：1）这些企业的所在地；2）他们推广的目的地国家和医疗设施；3）他们宣传的医疗服务；4）核心营销信息；5）企业是否除了医疗程序外还营销机票、酒店住宿和假日旅游。
共有 25 家总部设在加拿大的医疗旅游公司现已倒闭。鉴于目前估计有 18 家医疗旅游公司和 7 家地区跨境医疗旅行中介在加拿大运营，加拿大所有可识别的医疗旅游公司中似乎有一半以上已经不再营业。以前运营的 13 家公司位于安大略省，7 家位于不列颠哥伦比亚省，4 家位于魁北克省，1 家位于艾伯塔省。14 家公司在单一国家推广医疗程序，9 家公司在 2 个或更多目的地国家推广医疗保健，2 家公司未具体说明特定的医疗保健目的地。22 家公司作为“通才”企业运营，宣传多种不同类型的医疗程序。3 家医疗旅游公司推广仅限于牙科手术或器官移植的“专科”服务。一般来说，医疗旅游公司根据提供负担得起、及时和高质量的护理来推广医疗服务。16 家企业提供旅行安排，20 家企业提供酒店预订，17 家医疗旅游公司宣传假日旅游。
本文对总部设在加拿大但已退出市场且现已停业的医疗旅游公司的网站进行了详细的实证分析。文章确定了这些公司在加拿大的所在地、选择的目的地国家和医疗保健设施、宣传的医疗服务、在竞争环境下的自我营销方式以及除了医疗保健之外还推广的旅行相关服务。文章揭示了一个充满活力的市场，许多医疗旅游公司已经退出了这一行业。此外，通过披露公司的身份、提供他们的网站、为未来的研究存档这些网站或打印网站副本，并分析医疗旅游公司网站的内容，本文可以作为未来研究的有用资源。公民、卫生政策制定者、临床医生和研究人员都可以从对加拿大医疗旅游行业的深入了解中受益。
