The Consumer’s Perspective in Medical Tourism – Identification of Research Gaps
The Consumer’s Perspective in Medical Tourism – Identification of Research Gaps

Summary/Abstract: The rapid development of medical tourism started in 1990s and was soon followed by a growing interest of scholars in this phenomenon. However, the research on medical tourism cannot keep up with the pace of its development, and scientists still face a number of challenges which result from the lack of the following: the consensus on the actual name of the phenomenon, its explicit definition, reliable data on its scale, recognition of market mechanisms in terms of the supply and the demand. The article aimed at the presentation of terminology and definition problems related to medical tourism. It was also intended to identify the research gaps in the demand aspect of that phenomenon. As a result, five fields have been indicated where explanatory research should be carried out because their present recognition and understanding seems insufficient. The analysis has been carried out, based on the original review of the scientific literature (Czakon 2013, p. 51) available at the Internet resources (first of all, the EBSCO publication database).

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