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Researching muscle signals to support breakthrough technologies in bio robotics.

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Disseminating international standards on the formulation, policy-making, and promotion of Wellness Tourism Destinations.

Enhancing the depth of knowledge concerning the global wellness tourist.

Emphasizing the significance and potential of this sector to the allied stakeholders.

AUDIENCE

Our focal audience comprises the broad spectrum of the tourism industry, including travel agencies, transportation & lodging entities, DMCs/DMOs, tourism councils, non-profit organizations, and ancillary service providers.

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GOALS

Exploring the essence, features, global examples, success factors, and trends in wellness tourism destinations.

Articulate the concept of a wellness tourism destination and its relevance.
Spotlight attributes that characterize an exceptional wellness destination.
Showcase global exemplars across nations, regions, and cities in the wellness tourism landscape.
by
Determine the essential indicators and facets imperative for the success of a wellness tourism locale.
by
Unveil evolving wellness and travel tendencies that steer consumer inclinations and choice of destinations.
Collaborators in Wellness Tourism

Engage with the distinguishedforerunners in this realm, who are collaboratively propelling and cultivating wellness in this globally pertinent domain.

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IMPACT

Our team is transforming
the industry of engineering
and bio science.

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Unlocking the Secrets of Neural Circuits and Development

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Precision Automated
Neurosurgery

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MISSION

Theorists and Experimentalists Join Forces to Explore Nature’s ‘Third Kingdom’ of Particles

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Research Papers & Articles

Leverage your historical data to reduce future risk.

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IMPACT™ report
A research publication of the International Healthcare Research Center, in collaboration with Global Healthcare Accreditation.

A shared framework of trust across patients, healthcare leaders, and buyers in cross-border care.

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IMPACT™ report
The IMPACT Study integrates three stakeholder groups in a single research framework. When surveyed independently, all three identify the same five trust layers as determinants of outcomes in cross-border care: accreditation, safety communication, digital continuity, aftercare, and transparency.

The convergence is the finding.
research questions

The questions this study addresses

The IMPACT Study was designed to address four gaps in the published literature on cross-border care.
  • How do patients evaluate trust before and after seeking care across borders, and which factors are most predictive of willingness to travel and willingness to recommend
  • What do healthcare leaders report as the operational, reputational, and financial outcomes of accreditation, and where does measurement remain uncertain
  • What do buyers and referring professionals require as preconditions for cross-border referral, and how do those requirements align or diverge from patient and provider perspectives
  • Where do the three stakeholder groups converge, and where do they diverge, on the components of trust in cross-border care
study design & methodology

The IMPACT™ Study uses a multi-stakeholder comparative design. Three independent survey instruments were fielded to patients (past medical travelers and prospective travelers), healthcare facility leaders (executives, administrators, department heads), and buyers and referring professionals (insurers, employers, intermediaries).  

Analysis applies descriptive methods (frequencies, proportions) supplemented by chi-square testing for differences in trust and satisfaction between accredited and non-accredited settings. Open-ended responses are coded thematically. Demographic covariates (age, gender, country of residence) inform comparative subgroup analysis. Participation was voluntary. Responses were anonymous.

The cross-stakeholder design distinguishes the IMPACT™ Study from prior medical travel research, which has predominantly surveyed single populations in isolation. The framework permits direct comparison of trust drivers across the three groups whose decisions, in combination, shape outcomes in cross-border care.

FINDINGS AT A GLANCE

Three findings illustrate the cross-stakeholder convergence on accreditation as the central trust anchor. Each is drawn from a different stakeholder group. Together they describe a system in which the trust signal is operating internally but is not yet reaching the patients who depend on it.

Patients (past travelers)

41.3%

could not identify whether their hospital was accredited at the time of treatment

Healthcare Leaders
(Accredited Orgs)

69%

report a strongly positive impact of accreditation on reputation and brand

Buyers and referrers

Accreditation ranks alongside secure payments, transparent pricing, and aftercare documentation as a top-tier referral requirement

Across the three stakeholder groups, five trust layers emerge as determinants of outcomes in cross-border care.

  • Accreditation. Anchors trust across all stakeholders. Visibility is the limiting factor on the patient side.
  • Safety communication. Reinforces clinical confidence. Communication breakdowns can erode trust even when clinical performance is sound.
  • Digital continuity. Record portability, secure booking, and post-discharge digital access reduce friction across the care experience.
  • Aftercare. The single most decisive factor in perceived safety. Stronger in accredited settings.
  • Transparency. Pricing and payment clarity complete the trust framework. Required at high importance by all buyers surveyed.
The Five trust layers
Implications for research and practice
For Researchers

The IMPACT framework offers a benchmark for cross-stakeholder studies in cross-border care. The convergence finding suggests that future research should not assume divergent priorities across patients, providers, and buyers without empirical testing. Replication studies, longitudinal extensions, and region-specific analyses are open directions.

For Practitioners

Hospital leaders investing in international patient services have a measurable framework against which to evaluate program design. Buyers and referring organizations have a shared vocabulary for assessing facility readiness. Accreditation bodies have a foundation for standards that reflect what stakeholders converge on, not what any one group emphasizes in isolation.

For policy and standards development

The five trust layers offer a structure for policy dialogue that is grounded in observed stakeholder agreement rather than advocacy positioning. The framework is published with the intent of supporting open standards conversation across regions and institutions.

Citation and access

"International Healthcare Research Center & Global Healthcare Accreditation. (2026). The IMPACT Study: Trust, transformation, and the future of cross-border care. International Healthcare Research Center."

A persistent identifier will be assigned at publication and updated on this page. For media inquiries, citation requests, or research collaboration, contact the IHRC research office.

Access the full report

Registered access. Sent to your institutional email.

The IMPACT™ Study is being made available to researchers, healthcare leaders, accreditation professionals, and policy stakeholders.

The IMPACT Study is a joint initiative of the International Healthcare Research Center and Global Healthcare Accreditation. The two organizations bring complementary capabilities to the study: IHRC's research infrastructure and academic network, and GHA's accreditation framework and access to facility leadership across regions. The study is published under shared authorship and is intended to support open dialogue across research, practice, and policy communities.

‍About the International Healthcare Research Center: The International Healthcare Research Center is a research and convening organization advancing evidence-based understanding of cross-border care, healthcare innovation, and patient-centered systems. IHRC publishes original research, supports academic and practitioner collaboration, and hosts forums on the future of global healthcare delivery.  

‍About Global Healthcare Accreditation: Global Healthcare Accreditation is an international standards body advancing quality, safety, and patient-centered care across the medical travel industry. GHA's accreditation programs equip healthcare organizations to serve international patients with consistency, transparency, and excellence at every stage of the care experience.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH
The IMPACT framework will refresh annually

The IMPACT Study is designed as an ongoing research program. Future waves will track changes in stakeholder convergence over time and extend the framework to additional regions and stakeholder subgroups. Researchers and practitioners interested in contributing to future waves are invited to register through IHRC.

Contribute to the patient
experience wave.Contribute to the healthcare
leader and buyer wave.
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