ANALYSIS OF PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH THE QUALITY OF ORGANIZATION OF TREATMENT IN FOREIGN CLINICS

Abstract

Introduction. Medical tourism is defined as travelling to a different country to receive medical treatment at an affordable cost and have access to higher-quality healthcare or obtain specialized treatment, which they would not receive in their home country. Patient satisfaction assessments, the response of health care recipients to significant aspects of their service experience, are considered an important indicator of overall health care quality in both developed and developing countries. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the satisfaction of patients treated in foreign clinics, which is financed by the budget of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Materials and Methods. The cross-sectional study examines patients who received treatment in foreign clinics from 2019 to 2021, using budget funds (86 patients who were treated abroad with budgetary funds). Results. The majority of respondents received treatment in 2019 - 45(52.3%), while the rest received treatment in 2020 – 32 (37.2%), and in 2021 – 9 (10.5%). Women dominated 44 (51.2%), while men 42 (48.8%). The majority of patients (61.6%) were between 0 and 18 years of age. However, in this sample, 4.7 per cent of patients over the age of 60 were in the population. The most popular destination for high-tech medical care is Turkey, followed by the Russian Federation and South Korea. Conclusions. The overall satisfaction rate for medical care was 79 (91.8%), with 7 (8.2%) not satisfied. Among all respondents, 67 (77.9%) would suggest the clinic to their friends and relatives, 10 (11.6%) have trouble answering, and 7 (10.5%) would suggest seeking medical attention from a different location. Sanitary and hygienic conditions and comfort of the clinic assessed 80 (93%) of the respondents, unsatisfied 3 (3.5%) and difficult to answer 3 (3.5%).