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Journals / SDÜ Sağlık Yönetimi Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 8 Sayı: 1

HEALTH TOURISM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A QUALITATIVE STUDY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF EMPLOYEES

COVID-19 PANDEMİSİ SÜRECİNDE SAĞLIK TURİZMİ: KURUM ÇALIŞANLARININ PERSPEKTİFİNDEN NİTEL BİR ARAŞTIRMA

Gizem Zevde Aydın(ONDOKUZ MAYIS ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-8249-6788
Nurcan Coşkun Us(ONDOKUZ MAYIS ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-9010-0192
Pages
36–55
Publication Date
2026-06-30
DOI
—
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The research results show that, thanks to sectoral resilience, the COVID-19 pandemic not only negatively affected health tourism but also had a transformative effect, accelerating digitalization, strategic flexibility, and trust-based service delivery in the sector.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study aims to qualitatively evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health tourism through the experiences of managers and employees at institutions holding health tourism licenses.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The study adopts a case study design, a qualitative research method.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The research results show that, thanks to sectoral resilience, the COVID-19 pandemic not only negatively affected health tourism but also had a transformative effect, accelerating digitalization, strategic flexibility, and trust-based service delivery in the sector.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Sağlık Turizmi · COVID-19 · Nitel Araştırma

Abstract

This study aims to qualitatively evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health tourism through the experiences of managers and employees at institutions holding health tourism licenses. The study adopts a case study design, a qualitative research method. A semi-structured interview was used as the interview technique. The research was conducted with personnel from selected private healthcare institutions with health tourism licenses in a province of the Black Sea region. The data obtained were analyzed thematically. The MAXQDA program was used to perform the analyses. As a result of the thematic analyses, six themes were identified: “Negative Impact”, “Negative Outcome”, “Promotional Activities”, “Opportunities/Advantages”, “Measures”, and “Reasons for Preference”. The research results show that, thanks to sectoral resilience, the COVID-19 pandemic not only negatively affected health tourism but also had a transformative effect, accelerating digitalization, strategic flexibility, and trust-based service delivery in the sector.

Özet

Bu çalışmanın amacı, COVID-19 pandemi sürecinin sağlık turizmi üzerindeki etkilerini, sağlık turizmi yetki belgesine sahip kurumlarda görev yapan yöneticiler ve çalışanların deneyimleri üzerinden nitel bir yaklaşımla değerlendirmektir. Çalışmada nitel araştırma desenlerinden durum çalışması benimsenmiştir. Görüşme tekniği kapsamında yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tercih edilmiştir. Araştırma, Karadeniz’in bir ilinde bulunan sağlık turizmi yetki belgesine sahip belirlenen özel sağlık kuruluşlarında görev yapan personel ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler tematik olarak analiz edilmiştir. Analizlerin gerçekleştirilmesinde MAXQDA programından faydalanılmıştır. Tematik analizler sonucu “Olumsuz Etki”, “Olumsuz Sonuç”, “Tutundurma Faaliyetleri”, “Fırsatlar/Avantajlar”, “Önlemler” ve “Tercih Nedenleri” olmak üzere altı tema belirlenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda, sektörel dirençlilik sayesinde COVID-19 pandemisinin sağlık turizmi üzerinde yalnızca olumsuz etkiler yaratmadığı, aynı zamanda sektörde dijitalleşme, stratejik esneklik ve güven temelli hizmet sunumunu hızlandıran bir dönüştürücü etki yarattığı anlaşılmıştır.

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Cite This Article

Aydın, G. Z., Us, N. C. (2026). HEALTH TOURISM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A QUALITATIVE STUDY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF EMPLOYEES. SDÜ Sağlık Yönetimi Dergisi, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 1, 36–55. https://ajindex.com/articles/1601095

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