Evaluation of Digital Health Applications in terms of Medical Tourism within the Scope of Health Tourism: A Systematic Review

Year 2024, Issue: 22, 334 - 353, 30.04.2024

Ferit Sevim , Büşra Gül , Yasemin Akbulut

https://doi.org/10.38079/igusabder.1278332

Abstract

Aim: The use of technology in the health sector increases in direct proportion to the increase in the public's trust in technology. From the perspective of health tourism, the research aims to reveal the cost of digital health applications and their impact on access to health services by using systematic review methods.
Method: A systematic review was conducted using the Web of Science, Emerald, Scopus, and PubMed databases, following the PRISMA checklist. A total of 12 studies were evaluated based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Results: The studies were conducted in the USA (n=2), Mali, Canada, Nigeria (n=2), Azerbaijan, Norway, the United Arab Emirates and Germany. The focus of the studies is to reveal the benefit to the institution in terms of cost if patients use telemedicine methods instead of physically applying to the health institution. The impact of digital healthcare applications is emphasized in terms of reducing costs, accessing quality services and improving the quality of life.
Conclusion: The field of digitalization and tourism in healthcare continues to be on the agenda as a developing subject that is open to evaluation from different perspectives. In this direction, the study can provide evidence and be a facilitating reference for policymakers and hospital administrators in their decision-making processes.

Keywords

Digitalization, hospital management, cost, healthcare services

Dijital Sağlık Uygulamalarının Sağlık Turizmi Kapsamında Medikal Turizm Açısından Değerlendirilmesi: Sistematik Bir Derleme

Abstract

Amaç: Sağlık sektöründe teknoloji kullanımı, halkın teknolojiye olan güveninin artmasıyla doğru orantılı artış göstermektedir. Araştırma, sağlık turizmi perspektifinden medikal turizm özelinde dijital sağlık uygulamalarının maliyeti ile sağlık hizmetlerine erişim üzerindeki etkisini sistematik inceleme yöntemleri kullanarak ortaya çıkarmayı amaçlamaktadır.
Yöntem: PRISMA kontrol listesi doğrultusunda, Web of Science, Emerald, Scopus ve PubMed veri tabanları kullanılarak yapılan sistematik derleme çalışmasında, dahil edilme ve dışlama kriterlerine göre toplamda 12 çalışma değerlendirmeye alınmıştır.
Bulgular: Çalışmaların ABD (n=2), Mali, Kanada, Nijerya (n=2), Azerbaycan, Norveç, Birleşik Arap Emirlikleri ve Almanya’da yürütüldüğü görülmüştür. Çalışmaların odak noktası hastaların fiziksel olarak sağlık kurumuna başvurmak yerine teletıp yöntemleri kullanmaları durumunda maliyet açısından kuruma sağlanan faydanın ortaya çıkarılmasıdır. Maliyetlerin azaltılması, kaliteli hizmete erişim ve yaşam kalitesinin iyileştirilmesi açısından dijital sağlık uygulamalarının etkisi vurgulanmaktadır.
Sonuç: Sağlıkta dijitalleşme ve turizm alanı gelişmekte olan ve farklı açılardan değerlendirilmeye açık bir konu olarak gündemde yer edinmeye devam etmektedir. Bu doğrultuda çalışma, politika yapıcı ve hastane yöneticileri için karar verme süreçlerinde kanıt sağlayabilir ve kolaylaştırıcı bir referans olabilir.

Keywords

Dijitalleşme, hastane yönetimi, maliyet, sağlık hizmetleri

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