Journal of Tourism Research & HospitalityISSN: 2324-8807

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Research Article, J Tourism Res Hospitality Vol: 2 Issue: 2

Patient-Centeredness Communication Strategy for the Medical Tourism Industry

Eugene Yeoh1*, Khalifah Othman2 and Halim Ahmad3
1Centre of Graduate Studies, Universiti Selangor, Malaysia
2Faculty of Management and Defence Studies, National Defence University of Malaysia, Malaysia
3Faculty of Business, Universiti Selangor, Malaysia
Corresponding author : Eugene Yeoh
Centre of Graduate Studies, Universiti Selangor, Jalan Zirkon A 7/A, Seksyen 7, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +6012 202 9758
E-mail: eybc@yahoo.com
Received: October 13, 2012 Accepted: January 21, 2013 Published: January 26, 2013
Citation: Yeoh E, Othman K, Ahmad H (2013) Patient-Centeredness Communication Strategy for the Medical Tourism Industry. J Tourism Res Hospitality 2:2. doi:10.4172/2324-8807.1000113

Abstract

Patient-Centeredness Communication Strategy for the Medical Tourism Industry

The concept of patient-centeredness in the Malaysian medical tourism certified hospitals is the commonly preached topic amongst providers. However, there is hardly any nationwide research on medical tourism let alone health communication in Malaysia. Studies have shown that provider-patient communication significantly influences the satisfaction level and health outcomes and ultimately the behavioural intentions of the patients. As such, this research was designed to look at the sub-populations of medical tourists in Malaysia and to understand the differences that exist in these subpopulations. The results indicated that there were slight differences amongst the Indonesians and Singaporeans. The Indonesians were more loyal yet vocal as compared to the Singaporeans. On top of that there were more Indonesians that sought treatments in haematology, oncology, endocrinology, cardiology, and neurology. The results also revealed that Indonesians were more likely to rely on friends, agents, and media to gather information about medical tourism industry in Malaysia. More research needs to be done to understand the medical tourists in Malaysia in order for the providers to stay competitive.

Keywords: Medical tourism; Patient-centeredness; Communication strategy; Communication mix; Malaysia

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