Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria.
Int J Health Serv. 2013;43(3):415-36. doi: 10.2190/HS.43.3.c.
Transnational medical travel has gained attention recently as a strategy for patients to obtain care that is higher quality, costs less, or offers improved access relative to care provided within their home countries. This article examines institutional environments in the European Union and United States that influence transnational medical travel, describes the conceptual model of demand for medical travel, and illustrates individual dimensions in the conceptual model of medical travel using a series of case studies. The conceptual model of medical travel is predicated on Andersen's behavioral model of health services. Transnational medical travel is a heterogeneous phenomenon that is influenced by a number of patient-related factors and by the institutional environment in which the patient resides. While cost, access, and quality are commonly cited factors that influence a patient's decision regarding where to seek care, multiple factors may simultaneously influence the decision about the destination for care, including culture, social factors, and the institutional environment. The conceptual framework addresses the patient-related factors that influence where a patient seeks care. This framework can help researchers and regulatory bodies to evaluate the opportunities and the risks of transnational medical travel and help providers and governments to develop international patient programs.
跨国医疗旅游最近受到关注，成为患者获得比国内更高质量、更低成本或更便捷医疗服务的策略。本文考察了影响跨国医疗旅游的欧盟和美国的制度环境，描述了医疗旅游需求的概念模型，并通过一系列案例研究说明了医疗旅游概念模型中的个体维度。医疗旅游的概念模型基于安德森的卫生服务行为模型。跨国医疗旅游是一种异质现象，受到许多与患者相关的因素和患者所在的制度环境的影响。虽然成本、可及性和质量是通常被认为影响患者寻求医疗服务地点的因素，但许多因素可能同时影响对医疗服务目的地的决策，包括文化、社会因素和制度环境。概念框架解决了影响患者寻求医疗服务地点的患者相关因素。该框架可以帮助研究人员和监管机构评估跨国医疗旅游的机会和风险，并帮助提供者和政府制定国际患者计划。
