ArticleGlobalization and health2017
Cross-border movement of older patients: a descriptive study on health service use of Japanese retirees in Thailand.
Article in Globalization and health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Integrating natural non-pharmaceutical therapies into medical tourism: a dynamic health portrait-driven model for proactive older adult health and public health services.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring the Role of Appraised Support in Mitigating Reverse Culture Shock Among Cross-Border Retirement Migrants.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- COVID-19 impacts on cross-border mobility of senior population between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- How Different Is the Annual Physical Examination of Older Migrants than That of Older Nonmigrants? A Coarsened Exact Matching Study from China.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Health Status and Barriers to Healthcare Access among "Son-in-Law Westerners": A Qualitative Case Study in the Northeast of Thailand.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- The north-south policy divide in transnational healthcare: a comparative review of policy research on medical tourism in source and destination countries.Globalization and health · 2020Review
- Erratum to: Cross-border movement of older patients: a descriptive study on health service use of Japanese retirees in Thailand.Globalization and health · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThailand's policy to promote long-stay tourism encourages Japanese retirees to relocate to Thailand. One concern of such an influx is the impact of these elderly foreign residents on the Thai health system. This study aims to reveal the current use of and needs for health services amongst Japanese retirees residing in various locations in Thailand.
methodsIn collaboration with nine Japanese self-help clubs in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Phuket, questionnaire surveys of Japanese long-stay retirees were conducted from January to March 2015. The inclusion criteria were being ≥ 50 years of age and staying in Thailand for ≥30 days in the previous 12 months while the main exclusion criteria included relocation by company, relocation due to marriage, or working migrants.
resultsThe mean age of the 237 eligible participants was 68.8, with 79.3% of them being male, 57.8% having stayed in Thailand for ≥5 years, 63.3% having stayed in Thailand for ≥300 days in the previous 12 months and 33% suffering from chronic diseases or sequelae. Of the 143 who had health check-ups in the previous 12 months, 48.3% did so in Thailand. The top 3 diseases treated either in Thailand or Japan in the previous 12 months were dental diseases (50 patients), hypertension (44 patients), and musculoskeletal disorders (41 patients), with the rate of treatment in Thailand standing at 46.0, 47.7, and 65.9%, respectively. Of the 106 who saw a doctor in Thailand in the same period, 70.8% did so less than once a month. Only 23.2% of the participants preferred to receive medical treatment for serious conditions in Thailand. However, this number rose to 32.9% for long-term care (LTC) use.
conclusionThe usage of Thai health services amongst Japanese long-stay retirees is currently limited as they prefer going back to Japan for health screenings and treatment of chronic or serious diseases. However, the number of Japanese residents requiring health services including LTC and end-of-life care is expected to increase. The potential impact of promoting long-stay tourism on the Thai public health should be acknowledged and investigated by the Thai government, including the tourism authority.
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