Perceived cultural differences in healthcare for foreign patients visiting South Korea: tool development and measurement

Abstract

Background We developed a 41-item tool measuring cultural differences in healthcare as perceived by foreign patients visiting South Korea. Methods The tool was tested on 256 foreign patients who visited three tertiary hospitals in Seoul, South Korea. Content validity was explored by two physicians and eight nurses working in an international healthcare department. Structural validity was tested via exploratory factor analysis and by testing two hypotheses: (1) there are perceived cultural differences between the South Korean healthcare and those of foreign patients’ home countries (one-sample t-test); and, (2) Perceived cultural differences vary among language groups (analysis of variance). We also calculated Cronbach’s alpha. Results The content validity index of the tool was 0.97. Exploratory factor analysis identified seven significant factors: hospital care and services, food, the healthcare system, communication, the healthcare facility, religion, and cultural values. The overall Cronbach’s alpha for the tool was 0.96, indicating very high internal consistency. We found that foreign patients visiting South Korean hospitals perceived that the healthcare culture differed significantly from that of their home country. The perceived cultural differences varied significantly by language group. Conclusions Nurses can use our new tool to understand the cultural differences of foreign patients and provide them with culturally competent nursing care.

A bilingual systematic review of South Korean medical tourism: a need to rethink policy and priorities for public health?

“…After review, seven articles were excluded based on a review of the focus of the paper after reviewing the abstract and then reviewing the full text. The major themes identified in the literature focused on: (a) formal policy reviews of South Korea's medical tourism industry [20]; (b) analysis of current barriers, challenges and successes experienced by the South Korean medical tourism industry [21][22][23][24][25]; (c) proposals to assess the performance of the South Korean medical tourism industry [26]; (d) assessment of utilizing the healthcare worker education system to support further development of the medical tourism industry [27]; (e) examining the relationship between employee satisfaction and performance of medical tourism facilitators [28]; (f) analysis of the effects of price and health consciousness and satisfaction associated with the South Korean medical tourism experience [29,30]; and (g) factors associated with why certain patients choose to participate in medical tourism in South Korea [31][32][33].…”

“…Despite data generally pointing to economic growth of the South Korean medical tourism industry, the 2016 Comprehensive Plan highlighted some key challenges for the sector moving forward, including low overseas awareness of South Korean medical care [33], lack of professional personnel and expertise in attracting foreign patients, cultural differences with foreign patients that impacted service appeal [21,25], lack of customized medical services for foreign patients, and declining credibility of services due to cases of illegal and unsanctioned activities [24]. Hence, based upon data available prior to and post enactment of the Act, the industry has experienced growth, but officials continue to identify barriers that impede further development of the sector leading to calls for increased investment.…”

Realization of the Right to Health Protection in Insurance Medicine: The First Experience of Covid-19

“…The factor of "medical tourism", both domestic and international, also influences, when the best hospitals are trying to get from all over South Korea or even Asia. Of course, in such a situation, the majority of the population of the region where such a hospital is located becomes unable to pay for its services and is forced to go to others (Sung & Park, 2019).…”

Guest Editor’s Introduction: Culture and Causal Chains of Care—A Perspective on the Chronology of Health and Medical Communication in Cross-Cultural Contexts

“…Decisions of when to intervene in a causal chain of care are often individual; however, these individual preferences frequently reflect greater cultural perceptions and preferences associated with health, wellness, and care (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2019; Machado, 2014; Rosenstock, 2005). How cultures perceive interventions within causal chains of care affects the expectations individuals have for what care is and the communications and materials associated with accessing and receiving such care (Ferwerda, 2016; Sung & Park, 2019). Health and medical communicators need to understand such dynamics to create materials that address the needs of a group or that prompt members of a group to seek care at a particular point in time.…”