Last update:
   02-Mar-2020
 

Arch Hellen Med, 37(2), March-April 2020, 191-199

ORIGINAL PAPER

The attitudes of specialists towards medical tourism and in vitro fertilization medical tourism services in Cyprus

K. Andreou,1 P. Ioannou,2 O. Konstantakopoulou,3 D. Kaitelidou,3 P. Galanis,3 G. Charalambous4,5
1Oncology Clinic, General Hospital of Limassol, Limassol, Cyprus
2Pediatric Respiratory Research Unit, "Archbishop Makarios III" Hospital, Nicosia, Cyprus
3Center for Health Services Management and Evaluation, Department of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
4Emergency Department Unit, "Hippocration" General Hospital, Athens, Greece
5Department of Health Sciences, MSc in Health Management, Frederick University, Nicosia, Cyprus

OBJECTIVE To investigate the attitudes of the Cypriot specialists in the field of medical tourism towards medical tourism and assisted reproduction, and specifically, in vitro fertilization (IVF) medical tourism services and the associated marketing activities.

METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2018. The study population consisted of 50 specialists in the field of medical tourism who completed a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was based on a systematic literature review and a qualitative study with 10 specialists who participated in semi-structured interviews. Demographic characteristics were used as the independent variables, and the dependent variables were: (a) Characteristics of medical tourists looking for IVF services in Cyprus, (b) reasons for choosing Cyprus for IVF services, (c) the specialists' attitudes towards medical tourism and IVF, and (d) the specialists' attitudes towards the marketing of medical tourism and IVF.

RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 47.2 years, and their mean experience was 13.2 years. Most of the participants were women (62%), had a postgraduate degree (58%) and were working in the private sector (78%). The social, demographic and economic characteristics of medical tourists seeking IVF services in Cyprus were reported to be: couples of average or higher economic and social status, higher educational level, religious beliefs and young couples. The most important reasons for medical tourists to choose Cyprus for IVF services were: the improvement in success rates and safety of IVF procedures, the low cost, the state-of-the-art technology, the favorable climatic conditions, the convenient geographical location and the prevailing political stability in Cyprus. A strong positive attitude towards medical tourism and IVF services was associated with a strong positive attitude towards the accompanying marketing activities.

CONCLUSIONS Healthcare providers in Cyprus should be accredited and certified in medical tourism services and policy makers should establish and implement specialist training programs. Cyprus should invest in the development of IVF medical tourism services, by offering also personalized services, according to the specific characteristics of the medical tourists.

Key words: Assisted reproduction, Attitudes, Cyprus, In vitro fertilization, Medical tourism.

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