Inflammatory bowel disease customers' experience survey for domestic long-distance transportation
Rantala, Dan (2019)
Rantala, Dan
Haaga-Helia ammattikorkeakoulu
2019
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201902162403
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201902162403
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis is to research the issues that people with an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) might have to face when travelling domestic long-distance journeys with bus-ses, trains and airplanes. Currently the number of people diagnosed with an IBD in Finland is almost 50 000 and 2000 new diagnoses are made every year. As the main symptoms of the diseases are related to the sometimes urgent need to use a toilet and the right dietary op-tions, the main focus is on the provided foodservices and quality and number of the toilets provided by the public transportation companies. The commissioner of the thesis is Crohn ja Colitis ry (Crohn and Colitis Association of Finland), which is an IBD association that aims to provide support for people with IBD and raise awareness.
The research was conducted by creating a quantitative questionnaire in the form of a survey. The survey included questions about the satisfaction and perceived importance and issues of the above-mentioned aspects. It was sent to the members of Crohn ja Colitis ry by email and the answers were gathered during the international IBD awareness week on December 2018.
The results show that there is a need of improvement of the provided services as 54% of the respondents prefer their own vehicle over public transportation means. The collected data shows there was a vast difference between the satisfaction on the current services and the perceived importance of them. The main reasons for this were the low number and poor hy-giene level of the toilets and the lack of food options provided. In addition, the lack of knowledge about the diseases amongst people, especially employees of the companies, had an impact on the choices made by the respondents. This thesis provides suggestions for the companies on how to improve their services to assure an enjoyable journey for everyone, including people suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases and other conditions with similar issues.
The research was conducted by creating a quantitative questionnaire in the form of a survey. The survey included questions about the satisfaction and perceived importance and issues of the above-mentioned aspects. It was sent to the members of Crohn ja Colitis ry by email and the answers were gathered during the international IBD awareness week on December 2018.
The results show that there is a need of improvement of the provided services as 54% of the respondents prefer their own vehicle over public transportation means. The collected data shows there was a vast difference between the satisfaction on the current services and the perceived importance of them. The main reasons for this were the low number and poor hy-giene level of the toilets and the lack of food options provided. In addition, the lack of knowledge about the diseases amongst people, especially employees of the companies, had an impact on the choices made by the respondents. This thesis provides suggestions for the companies on how to improve their services to assure an enjoyable journey for everyone, including people suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases and other conditions with similar issues.