Abstract:
The itinerary of medical tourists who travel to receive medical service procedures in an overseas hospital is a complicated activity that needs to be thoroughly coordinated between the medical tourists and the medical service providers. This research presents the development of software for the planning of medical trips. In the evaluation, the researchers conducted a questionnaire to assess the satisfaction of the medical tourists with the use of this system by selecting 44 middle eastern persons interested in using medical tourism services at Praram 9 Hospital in Bangkok. The software was implemented as a collaboration between the medical tourists and the hospital in order to obtain the information needed by the medical clients and the hospitals medical services preparation staff. The six phases of the process are composed of the trip preparation, the arrival in Thailand and registration as a patient, the medical treatment procedure and discharge, the recuperation and travel, the departure to return home, and the follow-ups and customer-related service management. The collaborative results will produce the medical trip plans by tracking the milestones and activities.The software enhances the self-confidence of the medical tourists, so that they can take care of themselves and coordinate with the related persons. Moreover, the hospitals can follow up to arrange for the patients to travel to the destination, receive the treatment, and return home safely.