Delving into Hong Kong Patients’ Satisfaction with cross-border healthcare utilization: a sectional study in the Greater Bay Area, China

Keywords: patient satisfaction, PSQ-18, cross-border healthcare, healthcare services, Greater Bay Area
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

Recent years have seen increasing healthcare utilization in other counties/regions worldwide along with enhanced population mobility due to the globalization process. However, empirical investigations on patients’ satisfaction with cross-border healthcare services remain scare. Based on logistic regression analysis of 1208 responses from a standard validated PSQ-18 questionnaire of Hong Kong residents with cross-border healthcare experience in the Greater Bay Area, we found significant effects between patients’ sociodemographic characteristics and their general satisfaction with cross-border healthcare, including age, gender, children, employment, and the duration of stay in the mainland China. Meanwhile, household income, mainland China’s media use frequency, and health status influenced multiple dimensions of patient satisfaction. Age emerged as the strongest predictor across all seven PSQ-18 dimensions. We further conducted the BiTerm Topic Model (BTM) to extract valuable information from interviews related to cross-border healthcare. The results showed that medical qualification (39%) and expenditure (28%) were patients’ most concerned aspects. Possible bias and misconception existed in Hong Kong residents’ perceptions, by expressing distrust of most mainland China’s healthcare facilities for their unprofessional doctors, unadvanced facilities, and inadequate privacy protection. Targeted interventions aiming to improve patient satisfaction and cross-border healthcare services quality in mainland China should focus on Hong Kong residents’ heterogenous characteristics and multi-dimensional medical requirements, as well as enhancing information transparency to mitigate misconception and promote a good image of mainland China’s healthcare among Hong Kong residents.