A research on the evaluation of health workers' perceptions of health tourism: The case of Trakya University Health Research and Application Center and Edirne Sultan I. Murat State Hospital

Health tourism has become an increasingly significant form of tourism, gaining prominence both globally and in Turkıye, particularly in recent years. Characterized by its dynamic and continuously evolving nature, health tourism has emerged as a rapidly growing trend within the country. Substantial efforts are now being made to secure a share of the global health tourism market. In Turkıye, the health sector, which has become one of the most critical service industries, is witnessing a continuous shift and increase in the demands and expectations of its users. The objective of this study is to evaluate the perceptions of healthcare professionals regarding health tourism at Trakya University Health Research and Application Center and Edirne Sultan I. Murat State Hospital, and to assess the current status of health tourism. Another aim is to measure the knowledge and awareness levels of healthcare professionals concerning health tourism. The findings indicate that among the 382 healthcare professionals who participated in the study, 58.9% were female, and 41.1% were male. The perception score of Edirne's adequacy in health tourism was found to be 3.52±0.37. It was determined that the healthcare professionals' perception of Edirne's adequacy in health tourism is at a moderate-to-high level. Female participants had higher scores compared to their male counterparts in terms of institutional competencies, the impacts of health tourism, Edirne's health tourism potential, the hospital's health tourism practices, and Edirne's overall adequacy in health tourism. Additionally, the perception scores regarding Edirne's adequacy in health tourism were significantly higher among participants working at Edirne State Hospital compared to those at Trakya University Hospital.Year