ITECH1100: Impacts of Smartphones on the Medical Tourism Industry

This report analyzes the impacts of smartphones on the medical tourism industry, focusing on how technology, particularly smartphones, has revolutionized patient care and global healthcare access. It examines the use of cloud computing for Electronic Medical Records (EMR), the role of social media in connecting patients and doctors, and the application of data mining for disease diagnosis and treatment. The report also discusses ethical considerations, including the spread of foreign diseases and the potential for controversial treatments. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of technology in the medical tourism sector and the benefits of incorporating smartphones to enhance efficiency and patient care. The study references various academic sources to support its findings.

Running head: IMPACTS OF SMARTPHONES ON THE MTI
Impacts of Smartphones on the MTI
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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IMPACTS OF SMARTPHONES ON THE MTI
According to the MTA (Medical Tourism Association) the concept of medical tourism
can be simplified by stating that when a person living in a particular country travels to another
country for the purpose of receiving dental, medical or surgical. The kind of care received by the
person might be equal or even better than the support provided by his/her own country. There are
several potential causes of the travel, namely better or quality healthcare access, affordability etc.
Over the years, medical tourism has become immensely popular one of the most important
reasons being globalization.
Nowadays, new advancements in terms of technologies are imposed every single day.
Smartphones are introduced with extensive applications that can be immensely helpful for
various sectors including the medical tourism industry. There are several beneficial aspects of
technologies if implemented the proper way within the medical tourism industry. It is evident
that, technology has penetrated deep within the medical tourism sector in order to provide quality
facilities to the patients throughout the globe (Chuang et al., 2014). Concepts of cloud
computing, web 2.0, smartphones etc. can be incorporated to constantly bolster the medical
tourism industry in order to make it reach its full potential. However, most of these technological
concepts can be accessed via smartphones that are used by approximately 2.5 billion people
across the globe. Some of these concepts have been discussed in an elaborate manner.
Brainstorming
 Firstly, social networks and cloud are one of the most prominent in the category. Using the
concepts of cloud which is easily accessible from a smartphone in the recent times, it has
become easy to provide EMR (Electronic Medical Report) across the world in a cost
effective way. The records uploaded on the cloud can be easily accessed in real time by the
doctors and the solution providers of medical tourism industry via smartphones (Fetscherin &

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Stephano, 2016). EMR helps in decreasing the medication errors along with the extra
diagnosis thus making healthcare systems more efficient in terms of the services provided by
them. Therefore, opting for a system based service is comparatively far more beneficial than
opting for a paper back service. The ability to access EMR that is provided by the
smartphones in the recent times is a revolutionary prospect in the field of healthcare industry.
On the other hand, social networking platforms like Facebook, tweeter etc. which are the
most accessed applications on a smartphone are being harnessed in the field of medical
tourism. With the help of social media, patients all across the world can get in touch easily
with consultants and doctors residing in a different country. Along with it, doctors too can
consult and contact each other with the help of social media (Habes et al., 2018). This
innovation in the field of information technology is one of the core reasons for patients being
able to interact and consult doctors across the globe.
 The concept of data mining is another beneficial factor in the healthcare industry. A
continuous and rigorous compilation of information, gathered from different sources like
case studies, medical journals etc. can immensely help in creating a gigantic data bank for the
disease diagnosis system. Smartphones can be used to store medical data that can be easily
encrypted to ensure confidentiality of the information stored. It also comprises of an OTP
system for the purpose of accessing and security (Han & Hyun, 2015). Information
containing intensive data, such as CT scans and X-Rays can be stored within the server and
can be accessed on demand basis. However, low bandwidth data is generally stored within a
phone.
 Lastly, Information Technology plays a huge role in the medical tourism industry. Patterns of
a particular patient can be taken into consideration and matched with the symptoms for the

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purpose of combating and tracking down the major endemics. A global source in the field of
medical infrastructure having a cloud base can be created using the concepts of data mining
(Ormond & Mainil, 2015). This enhanced network system helps the medical tourism industry
to globally advice and aware the patients about the optimal treatment of any particularly
affected disease. Irrespective of the time or location, the field of pharmacy can also
proactively take part in it by making a potential voluntary contribution in terms of delivering
medications that are required to save a life.
Regulations and Ethics
For the purpose of addressing the ethical issues related to the medical tourism industry, it
is immensely important to address the stigma first. Use of experimental, controversial and illegal
procedures had always been one of the most prominent factors affecting the ethics of the medical
tourism industry (Moghavvemi, 2017). This issue has been exacerbated by the internet reflecting
the fact that, usage of internet provides the possibility to encourage the patients to opt for
controversial treatment. Secondly, the possibility of spreading of foreign diseases is another
aspect that cannot be ignored. In addition to that, patients struggling with specific complications
or those who require a set of follow-up check-ups may fail in receiving adequate post-treatment
check-up. A medical tourism plan rarely involves the concept of follow-up check-ups, the reason
being the cost related issues in terms of flight fares, hotels etc. However, the competitiveness
nature of the medical tourism industry impacts the online market immensely.
Perhaps, the controversial nature of the ethical issues that are associated with the medical
tourism industry remains intact. In addition to that, it can be stated that internet plays a
tremendously important role in validating these parameters that have not been incorporated
within the literature yet. Hence, it is important for the policy researchers and experts to continue

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examining these particular issues with a purpose for the medical tourism industry to reach new
heights.

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References
Chuang, T. C., Liu, J. S., Lu, L. Y., & Lee, Y. (2014). The main paths of medical tourism: From
transplantation to beautification. Tourism Management, 45, 49-58.
Fetscherin, M., & Stephano, R. M. (2016). The medical tourism index: Scale development and
validation. Tourism Management, 52, 539-556.
Habes, M., Alghizzawi, M., Salloum, S. A., & Ahmad, M. F. (2018). The Use of Mobile
Technology in the Marketing of Therapeutic Tourist Sites: A Critical Analysis.
International Journal of Information Technology, 2(2), 48-54.
Han, H., & Hyun, S. S. (2015). Customer retention in the medical tourism industry: Impact of
quality, satisfaction, trust, and price reasonableness. Tourism Management, 46, 20-29.
Moghavvemi, S., Ormond, M., Musa, G., Isa, C. R. M., Thirumoorthi, T., Mustapha, M. Z. B., &
Chandy, J. J. C. (2017). Connecting with prospective medical tourists online: A cross-
sectional analysis of private hospital websites promoting medical tourism in India,
Malaysia and Thailand. Tourism Management, 58, 154-163.
Ormond, M., & Mainil, T. (2015). 15. Government and governance strategies in medical
tourism. Handbook on medical tourism and patient mobility, 154.