STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING PRIVATE PHYSIOTHERAPY CLINICS TO PROMOTE HEALTH TOURISM IN THE WESTERN REGION OF THAILAND

Abstract

This research aimed to (1) examine the current conditions of private physical therapy clinic management for promoting health tourism in the western region of Thailand, (2) develop management strategies for private physical therapy clinics to enhance health tourism, and (3) evaluate the proposed strategies. The population consisted of 400 service users of private physical therapy clinics in the western region, selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires and in-depth interviews and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including arithmetic means and standard deviations.

The results showed that a total of 51 private physical therapy clinics were registered under the Ministry of Public Health in the western region. Specifically, there were 16 clinics in Nakhon Pathom (7 districts), 11 clinics in Ratchaburi (10 districts), 5 clinics in Phetchaburi (8 districts), 6 clinics in Prachuap Khiri Khan (8 districts), and 13 clinics in Kanchanaburi (13 districts). Field observations further revealed that most clinics were located in city districts, while several districts lacked access to physical therapy services for residents or individuals interested in health tourism. Factors influencing the selection of health tourism destinations in the western region were ranked as follows: social environmental factors (𝑥̅ = 4.90, SD = 0.579), cultural factors (𝑥̅ = 4.38, SD = 0.679), natural environment and atmosphere (𝑥̅ = 4.38, SD = 0.583), resource availability (𝑥̅ = 4.38, SD = 0.669), health tourism infrastructure (𝑥̅ = 4.37, SD = 0.609), and recreational activities (𝑥̅ = 4.31, SD = 0.937).