Background: After the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, international medical services have continued to flourish and reconfigure, leading to the current intense competition among medical institutions. Understanding loyalty in international patients and its related factors may be referenced and used to enhance loyalty among patients visiting a hospital, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of that medical institution.
Purpose: This study was designed to explore the significant factors that influence the loyalty of international patients.
Methods: The international medical services patient database of a northern medical center was used to extract information on patients who had received services from the international medical center between 2018 and 2022 (n = 3,325). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the increase in patient loyalty at each quartile, the estimated relative odds ratio (OR) of international patient loyalty, and its 95% confidence interval (CI). Potentially relevant factors controlled in the statistical model included: age, source of information from the unit, and total medical expenses.
Results: This study found that the level of international medical service patient loyalty to the target hospital averaged approximately 15.1%. International medical service patient loyalty differed significantly by age group (45-64 years old), using non-internet sources for information, and spending at least 1 million NT dollars on medical expenses (p < .001). The information source used (OR: 1.72; p < .001; 95% CI [1.33, 2.23]) and total medical expenses (OR: 4.56; p < .001; 95% CI [3.49, 5.95]) were identified as significant predictors of loyalty.
Conclusions / implications for practice: It is hoped the results of this study provide a reference for institutions to promote international medical services, improve international competitiveness, and demonstrate the quality of medical care provided in Taiwan.
Title: 探討影響臺灣國際醫療病人忠誠度之相關因素.
背景: 嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎（COVID-19）後國際醫療服務持續蓬勃發展，使得醫療產業的競爭更趨白熱化，若能了解國際醫療病人忠誠度及其影響之相關因素，提供行銷參考依據，能提升來院病人忠誠度，進而提升機構競爭力。.
目的: 探討影響國際醫療病人忠誠度之相關因素。.
方法: 利用北部某醫學中心國際醫療病人資料庫，擷取出2018年至2022年接受國際醫療中心服務的病人（n = 3,325）。利用二元羅吉斯迴歸分析，計算國際醫療病人忠誠度每四分位差，與忠誠度之相對勝算比（odds ratio, OR）之估計值及其95%信賴區間（confidence interval, CI），統計模型中控制潛在相關因素，包含年齡、得知單位的訊息來源及醫療費用總額。.
結果: 本研究發現國際醫療病人對本院忠誠度約為15.1%。年齡層在45–64歲、非網路訊息來源及醫療費用總額超過一百萬元以上有顯著差異（p < .001），訊息來源（OR: 1.72; p < .001; 95% CI [1.33, 2.23]）及醫療費用總額（OR: 4.56; p < .001; 95% CI [3.49, 5.95]）為忠誠度之預測因子。.
結論／實務應用: 疫情後國際醫療已面臨重新布局，各國積極研擬新政策以吸引國際病人就醫，勢必是一種趨勢，而忠誠度被視為醫院經營策略中行銷成效指標之一，本研究結果能提供推動國際醫療相關機構及單位之參考，除了提高國際競爭力、並與國際接軌，讓國際能看到臺灣整體醫療品質。.
Keywords: international medical service patients; loyalty; medical services.