Dutch citizens of Turkish origin who utilize healthcare services in Turkey: a qualitative study on motives and contextual factors

• Published in: BMC health services research Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 289 - 10
• Main Authors: Şekercan, Aydın, Woudstra, Anke J., Peters, Ron J. G., Lamkaddem, Majda, Akgün, Seval, Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 17.04.2018; BioMed Central Ltd; BMC
• Subjects: Accessibility; Adult; Aged; Analysis; Communication; Continuity of Patient Care - standards; Cross-border care; Delivery of Health Care - standards; economics and financing systems; Emigration and Immigration - statistics & numerical data; Emotions; Ethnic Groups; Ethnicity; expenditure; Female; Health Administration; Health Informatics; Health Services - statistics & numerical data; Health services research; Humans; Interprofessional Relations; Male; Medical care; Medical tourism; Medical Tourism - psychology; Medical Tourism - statistics & numerical data; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Motivation; Netherlands; Nursing Research; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - ethnology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Perception; Physician and patient; Public Health; Qualitative Research; Research Article; Turkey - ethnology; Turkish origin; Utilization; Turkey; Turkish origin; Ethnicity; Medical tourism; Accessibility; Cross-border care; Health services research
• ISSN: 1472-6963; 1472-6963
• DOI: 10.1186/s12913-018-3026-9

Background Dutch residents of Turkish origin frequently utilize healthcare in Turkey. Methods To investigate their motives for doing so, we conducted a qualitative study among these healthcare users using semi-structured interviews. We complemented this with informal conversations with Turkish healthcare providers and observations at the registration offices and waiting rooms of outpatient clinics in several Turkish hospitals. Results Respondents believed their perceived needs for referral to specialist care and diagnostic assessments to quantify their health were not being met in the Netherlands. Conclusions These mismatches in expectations of what constitutes “good care” led to dissatisfaction with Dutch primary care. Consequently, respondents utilized healthcare in Turkey if the opportunity arose, and were encouraged in this by their social networks. Establishing cross-border communication between healthcare providers is necessary, because there is currently no continuity of care for cross-border patients.