Beyond Borders: A Comparative Analysis of the Patient Experience of Kazakh Citizens in Türkiye and Kazakhstan

Patient experience is widely regarded as a core indicator of healthcare quality. Whilst the majority of research focuses on ethnic disparities, there is a paucity of studies that examine structural influences when cultural background is held constant. The present study sought to compare patient-reported experiences of 600 Kazakhstani citizens (n = 300 per country) receiving care in Kazakhstan and as medical tourists in Türkiye. The Picker Patient Experience Questionnaire (PPE-15) was utilised to analyse domain-level problem scores, employing chi-square tests (Cramer's V) and binary logistic regression. The findings indicated significant disparities in several domains, including coordination of care (V = 0.538), respect for personal preferences (V = 0.255), physical comfort (V = 0.151), and continuity and transition (V = 0.252). Notably, Kazakhstan exhibited considerably higher problem rates in all these domains. No significant differences were identified in emotional comfort or in the provision of information and education. Item-level analysis identified inconsistent staff communication as the strongest discriminator between settings (OR = 10.69, p < 0.001). Furthermore, age was a consistent correlate of experience across multiple domains. The study demonstrates that, when culture is held constant, structural and coordination-related dimensions exhibit greater variation than relational ones. The findings suggest that organisational integration and discharge processes play a more decisive role in shaping patient-reported experiences than cultural proximity alone, thereby highlighting the impact of healthcare system structures over shared cultural backgrounds.