Click to Care: The Role of Digital Credibility and E-brand Image in Medical Tourism Decision-making
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/palash.2026.1.02.02Keywords:
Medical Tourism, Online Review, Information Transparency, E-Brand Image, Decision-Making Intention, Digital Healthcare, word of mouthAbstract
This study aims to examine how digital factors influence medical tourists’ decision-making intention in the context of cross-border healthcare. Specifically, it investigates the impact of online review credibility, information transparency in online platforms, and e-brand image on hospital selection decisions in medical tourism. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale from individuals who actively use online platforms for healthcare information and medical travel decisions. A total of 221 valid responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test reliability, validity, and hypothesized relationships among constructs. The results reveal that all three digital variables have a positive and significant effect on medical tourist decision-making intention. Among them, e-brand image emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by information transparency and online review credibility. The model demonstrated high explanatory power, indicating that digital cues substantially shape behavioral intentions in medical tourism. This study offers an integrated empirical framework that combines digital marketing constructs with medical tourism decision behavior, addressing a gap where prior studies examined these elements separately rather than collectively. The study is limited to cross-sectional data and self-reported perceptions, which may restrict long-term generalizability and behavioral prediction.
References
Abubakar, A. M., & Ilkan, M. (2016). Impact of online WOM on destination trust and intention to travel: A medical tourism perspective. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 5(3), 192–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2015.12.005
Ali, D. S. S., Dakshinamurthy, T., Priyadarshi, P., & Mittal, M. (2025). Consumer trust in digital brands: The role of transparency and ethical marketing. Advances in Consumer Research, 2(1).
Wong, A. K. F., Vongvisitsin, T. B., Li, P., Pan, Y., & Ryan, C. (2024). Revisiting medical tourism research: Critical reviews and implications for destination management and marketing. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 33, Article 100924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2024.100924
Ashraf, J., & Hayat, Y. (2025). Transforming medical tourism through digital advancements. In V. I. Hassan, A. Singh, A. S. Jaboob, & A. Sorayyaei Azar (Eds.), Advances in healthcare information systems and administration (pp. 425–458). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-7888-5.ch017
Azhar, M., Husain, R., Hamid, S., & Rahman, M. N. (2023). Effect of social media marketing on online travel purchase behavior post-COVID-19: Mediating role of brand trust and brand loyalty. Future Business Journal, 9(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-023-00192-6
Catapan, S. D. C., Sazon, H., Zheng, S., Gallegos-Rejas, V., Mendis, R., Santiago, P. H. R., & Kelly, J. T. (2025). A systematic review of consumers’ and healthcare professionals’ trust in digital healthcare. NPJ Digital Medicine, 8(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-025-01510-8
Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling techniques (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Elshaer, I. A., Alyahya, M., Azazz, A. M. S., Ali, M. A. S., Fathy, E. A., Fouad, A. M., Soliman, S. A. E. M., & Fayyad, S. (2024). Building digital trust and rapport in the tourism industry: A bibliometric analysis and detailed overview. Information, 15(10), 598. https://doi.org/10.3390/info15100598
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Lunt, N., Smith, R. D., Mannion, R., Green, S. T., Exworthy, M., Hanefeld, J., Horsfall, D., Machin, L., & King, H. (2014). Implications for the NHS of inward and outward medical tourism: A policy and economic analysis using literature review and mixed-methods approaches. Health Services and Delivery Research, 2(2), 1–234. https://doi.org/10.3310/hsdr02020
Martí-Parreño, J., & Gómez-Calvet, R. (2020). Social media and sustainable tourism: A literature review. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Research in Tourism (pp. 67–74). https://doi.org/10.34190/IRT.20.067
Özaydın, H. (2025). Fake reviews and ratings undermining consumer trust. In Ş. Abbasoğlu, Z. Erdoğan, E. Gürbüz, E. Yavuz, M. Başal, B. Avşar, A. Şen, D. Yurdakul, S. Paker, C. Yılmaz Uz, S. Arslan, A. Atasoy, H. Özaydın, K. Deligöz, N. Kantar, F. N. Özkan, A. Songur, & S. Aydoğan (Eds.), Consumer, marketing, AI: Dark sides and ethics. Özgür Yayınları. https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub710.c3028
Filieri, R., Acikgoz, F., Ndou, V., & Dwivedi, Y. (2021). Is TripAdvisor still relevant? The influence of review credibility, review usefulness, and ease of use on consumers’ continuance intention. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(1), 199–223. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2020-0402
Saveljeva, J., & Volkova, T. (2025). A survey on digital trust: Towards a validated definition. Digital, 5(2), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/digital5020014
Senyapar, H. N. D. (2024). Healthcare branding and reputation management strategies for organizational success. Nobel Academic Publishing.
Xu, T., Wang, W., & Du, J. (2020). An integrative review of patients’ experience in the medical tourism. INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 57, 0046958020926762. https://doi.org/10.1177/0046958020926762
Zhang, X., Sun, J., Li, X., Liu, Y., & Li, C. (2025). Developing a framework for online review-based health care service quality assessment: Text-mining study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27, e66141. https://doi.org/10.2196/66141
