Medical Service Utilization Among International Tourists in Bangkok, Thailand in post COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

      Medical service utilization is an important concern for international travelers during their trip, especially after the serious COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. In this cross-sectional study, we aim to investigate the medical service utilization and satisfaction among international tourist in Bangkok after the country reopening for international tourist in October 2022.The international tourist in Bangkok was conveniently recruited for interview using the validated questionnaire related to travel information, medical services utilization, and satisfaction. Google form was sent out through social medica platforms, as well as face-to-face interviews at tourist gathering places. Descriptive statistics i.e., frequency, percentage, mean, and SD were employed to summarize the distribution of participants' characteristics and their utilization of medical services. A chi-square test was used to examine the association between medical service utilization and the level of satisfaction. In total, 422 participants responded to the questionnaire. Taiwan (42.2%), China (13.0%), South Korea (10.4%), Japan (9.5%), and Malaysia (8.1%) were the top five nationalities among the participants. Approximately 23.26% of the tourists sought medical treatment during their trip, primarily for illness, expert opinions, and accidents. The factor of interpersonal manner was the highest average score, emphasized the importance of modesty and made consumers feel welcome and respected Thai culture. However, the communication aspect was the lowest mean score, which showed healthcare providers might have communication problems with patients, particularly due to language barriers.