Porto alegre as health tourism scenario

Abstract

This paper presents the city of Porto Alegre, in southern Brazil, as a Health Tourism scenario. The text is a partial report of research carried out at the PhD level, at the University of Caxias do Sul, involving the theme Health Tourism, seeking signals for the enhancement of practices in this sense, in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. This is a transdisciplinary research, involving scientific assumptions aligned with the vision of complex ecosystemic science. The methodological strategy of the research is the Cartography of Knowledge, proposed by Baptista (2014), in a qualitative bias, guided by four major tracks: Personal Knowledge, Theoretical Knowledge, Production Plant and Intuitive Dimension of Research. The results indicate the great potential of the city of Porto Alegre, for the development of health tourism, by the combination of attractions and the excellence of health services. The broader research highlights the relevance of attention and special care for some flags: safety, cleanliness, food, lodging, hospitality and communication. The article presents three referral hospitals in health care, located in regions of Porto Alegre, with potential for the development of Health Tourism.