Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26835441›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2015

Global Health Policy and Access to Care: Investigating Patient Choice on an International Level Using Social Media.

Peter Zhukovsky, Kai Ruggeri, Eduardo Garcia-Garzon, Sara Plakolm, Elisa Haller, Dafina Petrova, Vaishali Mahalingam, Igor G Menezes

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. An Integrative Review of Patients' Experience in the Medical Tourism.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Peter ZhukovskyDepartment of Psychology, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , UK.
Kai RuggeriPolicy Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Engineering, Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Eduardo Garcia-GarzonPolicy Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Departamento de Psicología Social y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Sara PlakolmUnit for Paediatric and Adolescent Psychiatry, Division of Paediatrics, University Medical Centre Maribor , Maribor , Slovenia.
Elisa HallerClinical Psychology with Focus on Psychotherapy Research, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich , Zürich , Switzerland.
Dafina PetrovaMind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada , Granada , Spain.
Vaishali MahalingamDepartment of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; The Psychometrics Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Igor G MenezesThe Psychometrics Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Quantitative Methods and Predictive Psychometrics Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIncreased access to transportation and information has led to the emergence of more diverse patient choice and new forms of health care consumption, such as medical travel. In order for health care providers to effectively attract patients, more knowledge is needed on the mechanisms underlying decision-making of potential travelers from different countries. A particularly promising method of studying the travelers' motives is collecting data on social media.

objectivesThe aim of this study was to test what factors influence decision-making of potential medical travelers and how these factors interact. Based on existing literature, the factors analyzed included quality, cost, and waiting time for 2 procedures varying in invasiveness across 12 different destination countries.

methodsDecision-making patterns were examined using a pilot questionnaire that generated a large amount of data from over 800 participants in 40 countries. Participants indicated their willingness to travel given different scenarios. Each scenario consisted of a combination of several factors. Additionally, participants were asked to indicate the reasons for their choice.

resultsIndividuals display high willingness to travel for medical care when combining all participants and scenarios, travel for care was chosen 66.9% of the time. Among the factors influencing their decisions, quality of the medical procedure abroad was considered most important, and cost was least important as shown by chi-square tests and corresponding odds ratios. Log-linear analyses revealed an interaction between time waiting in the local health care system and type of procedure, whereby time pressure increased the odds of agreeing to travel for the more invasive procedure. The odds of traveling to Europe and the USA were by far the highest, although participants indicated that under certain conditions they might be willing to travel to other medical destinations, such as Asia.

conclusionOur measurements yielded several reliable insights into the factors driving medical decision-making. An essential next step would be to expand these findings with a more encompassing sample and more elaborate statistical modeling.

Indexed as

costdecision-makingdestinationfactorsmedical travelpublic health policyquality

Identifiers

PMID26835441
PMCPMC4724725

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.