Chronological explication of the term “medical tourism”: the perspective of Polish researchers and the discipline of science they represent
| Year | Author(s) | Discipline of science | Medical tourism |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Szalonka | Economics | Organization [by tour operators] of visits to doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries |
| 2008 | Klich | Economics | People moving to other countries (to another continent) to acquire [exemplify consumption of] quality health services at a competitive price, including plastic surgery, dentistry, and eye surgery |
| 2008 | Prochorowicz | Economics | Nothing more than combining treatment with tourism |
| 2008 | Puchnarewicz | Social and economic geography | Voluntary travel of people outside their own country to obtain professional medical care |
| 2009 | Mruk | Management | Organizing therapeutic tourist stays of patients from other countries in Poland, [because of] the ease of movement in space; [it concerns] the migration of patients and doctors between different points in space |
| 2010 | Białk-Wolf | Economics | Voluntary traveling abroad with the intent to make use of medical treatment for the purpose of preserving life, enhancing quality of life, or improving one’s appearance; because of lower cost, better quality, or the inaccessibility of some procedure at the place of residence (resulting from a lack of personnel, knowledge, technical equipment and procedures, or long waiting times or legal limitations) often combined with sightseeing in the visited place (…) concerns only the international aspect |
| 2010 | Lubowiecki-Vikuk | Physical culture science | A deliberate human activity in which travelers (medical tourists) seek to use health services in their own country or abroad to maintain (or improve) their health and/or aesthetic appearance, sometimes combined with relaxation, physical and mental regeneration, sightseeing, and entertainment |
| 2012 | Liberska | Economics | A form of offshoring of medical services, i.e. providing healthcare to foreigners in lower-cost countries |
| 2013 | Borek | Medical sciences | When consumers choose to travel across national borders for different types of medical services, e.g. dental treatments, aesthetic medicine, plastic surgery, surgical procedures, and infertility treatment |
| 2014 | Rab-Przybyłowicz | Economics | A form of travel away from the place of permanent residence, the main purpose of which is the improvement of health or body aesthetics, rehabilitation, or renewal of psychophysical strength under the care of a specialist in an office, clinic, or hospital, combined with a wide range of alternative leisure activities in each city or region. However, this trip should include at least one overnight stay and last no longer than 12 months |
| 2015 | Niezgoda and Kowalska | Economics | Related to the health situation of the emitting and receiving country, but also due to the general increase in social mobility, the opening of borders, and the development of tourism as a social trend |
| 2017 | Panasiuk | Economics, management | The health tourism sub-market, which also includes medical tourism related to infertility treatment, as well as aesthetic medicine procedures, and abortion tourism, and is developing over very short distances, including cross-border trips and even within a country |
| 2018 | Dziedzic | Economics | The field of action of the private sector, (…) is located at the interface between two distinct activities: medicine (and more broadly: healthcare) and tourism |
| 2019 | Matulka-Kacprzak | Management |
|
| 2020 | Biernat* and Kachniewska** | Physical culture science*, management** | Any temporary stay away from the place of residence (in and outside the country), to maintain and restore health and/or to obtain the aesthetic appearance of one’s own body – combined with rest, recuperation of physical and mental strength, sightseeing, and discovering tourist attractions and entertainment; does not exclude day trips or persons receiving cross-border care |
| 2020 | Wiśniewska | Economics, management | Travel (alone or with an accompanying person) to another region or country to undergo a planned medical procedure to improve physical appearance, enhance quality of life, or save health, due to the price of the service in question, the unavailability of the service in the country for technological reasons, or due to legal restrictions or excessive waiting time for the medical procedure |
| 2021 | Lubowiecki-Vikuk | Management |
|
| Year | Author(s) | Discipline of science | Medical tourism |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Szalonka | Economics | Organization [by tour operators] of visits to doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries |
| 2008 | Klich | Economics | People moving to other countries (to another continent) to acquire [exemplify consumption of] quality health services at a competitive price, including plastic surgery, dentistry, and eye surgery |
| 2008 | Prochorowicz | Economics | Nothing more than combining treatment with tourism |
| 2008 | Puchnarewicz | Social and economic geography | Voluntary travel of people outside their own country to obtain professional medical care |
| 2009 | Mruk | Management | Organizing therapeutic tourist stays of patients from other countries in Poland, [because of] the ease of movement in space; [it concerns] the migration of patients and doctors between different points in space |
| 2010 | Białk-Wolf | Economics | Voluntary traveling abroad with the intent to make use of medical treatment for the purpose of preserving life, enhancing quality of life, or improving one’s appearance; because of lower cost, better quality, or the inaccessibility of some procedure at the place of residence (resulting from a lack of personnel, knowledge, technical equipment and procedures, or long waiting times or legal limitations) often combined with sightseeing in the visited place (…) concerns only the international aspect |
| 2010 | Lubowiecki-Vikuk | Physical culture science | A deliberate human activity in which travelers (medical tourists) seek to use health services in their own country or abroad to maintain (or improve) their health and/or aesthetic appearance, sometimes combined with relaxation, physical and mental regeneration, sightseeing, and entertainment |
| 2012 | Liberska | Economics | A form of offshoring of medical services, i.e. providing healthcare to foreigners in lower-cost countries |
| 2013 | Borek | Medical sciences | When consumers choose to travel across national borders for different types of medical services, e.g. dental treatments, aesthetic medicine, plastic surgery, surgical procedures, and infertility treatment |
| 2014 | Rab-Przybyłowicz | Economics | A form of travel away from the place of permanent residence, the main purpose of which is the improvement of health or body aesthetics, rehabilitation, or renewal of psychophysical strength under the care of a specialist in an office, clinic, or hospital, combined with a wide range of alternative leisure activities in each city or region. However, this trip should include at least one overnight stay and last no longer than 12 months |
| 2015 | Niezgoda and Kowalska | Economics | Related to the health situation of the emitting and receiving country, but also due to the general increase in social mobility, the opening of borders, and the development of tourism as a social trend |
| 2017 | Panasiuk | Economics, management | The health tourism sub-market, which also includes medical tourism related to infertility treatment, as well as aesthetic medicine procedures, and abortion tourism, and is developing over very short distances, including cross-border trips and even within a country |
| 2018 | Dziedzic | Economics | The field of action of the private sector, (…) is located at the interface between two distinct activities: medicine (and more broadly: healthcare) and tourism |
| 2019 | Matulka-Kacprzak | Management | Narrow approach: voluntary departure from the place of permanent residence for a continuous period of not more than one year to obtain (at home or abroad) healthcare requiring specialized medical intervention and highly qualified medical staff, provided by public and private healthcare facilities Broad approach: this trip may be combined with traditional leisure, sightseeing, and physical and mental regeneration |
| 2020 | Biernat* and Kachniewska** | Physical culture science*, management** | Any temporary stay away from the place of residence (in and outside the country), to maintain and restore health and/or to obtain the aesthetic appearance of one’s own body – combined with rest, recuperation of physical and mental strength, sightseeing, and discovering tourist attractions and entertainment; does not exclude day trips or persons receiving cross-border care |
| 2020 | Wiśniewska | Economics, management | Travel (alone or with an accompanying person) to another region or country to undergo a planned medical procedure to improve physical appearance, enhance quality of life, or save health, due to the price of the service in question, the unavailability of the service in the country for technological reasons, or due to legal restrictions or excessive waiting time for the medical procedure |
| 2021 | Lubowiecki-Vikuk | Management | The social dimension: taking into account the need to alleviate the stress of treatment, it is a deliberate act by a medical tourist to seek, away from their usual place of residence, usually private health services in order to maintain (or improve) their health and/or the aesthetic appearance of their body; this aspect of healthcare in the broadest sense can be combined with leisure and tourist experiences – typical behavior of accompanying persons The business dimension: a business activity in which private healthcare facilities, equipped with medical equipment and suitably arranged infrastructure, and having the facilities of specialized medical staff, express their willingness to provide healthcare services, either individually or as a package, to domestic and foreign patients – medical tourists – for a fee |
Source(s): Based on Lubowiecki-Vikuk (2021, p. 26–27, p. 65–66), Mruk (2009, p. 32)
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