Introduction: Every year, more and more students decide to study or undertake professional internships abroad. Despite high student motivation, studying abroad can represent a cultural shock that can affect psychophysical health. Purpose: The purpose of this master's thesis is to investigate how much attention international students in Slovenia pay to the accessibility of healthcare and health insurance when they come to study in Slovenia. Methods: The master's thesis is based on two surveys conducted using the online survey method. The population consists of all international students enrolled in any higher education institution or establishment in Slovenia during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 academic years. To process the data, descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was used, as well as content analysis. Non-parametric statistical tests were used to test hypotheses. The significance level was set at 0,05. Results: A total of 1,689 international students from the academic years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 were included in the data analysis. Familiarity with Slovenia's healthcare system was rated on average as poor (x̄ = 2) to moderate (x̄ = 3). No significant difference in the level of familiarity with healthcare was found between genders or modes of study (p > 0.05). Health insurance was considered very important by more than half of the respondents (54.5 %), while the level of awareness of healthcare services covered by insurance was rated as poor (x̄ = 2) to moderate (x̄ = 3). No significant differences in the level of awareness of healthcare services were found between academic levels (p > 0.05). Discussion and conclusion: Based on the obtained results, it is concluded that the level of awareness is much more dependent on the individual, their priorities, and reasons for studying in another country. The negative consequences of studying in Slovenia are mainly reflected in the psychosocial health of international students. The entire COVID-19 pandemic has affected the completion of questionnaires and the results, as international students were limited in accessing healthcare in Slovenia due to attending classes online from their home country. International students need to be aware of the importance of taking care of their own health and should be encouraged to consult with healthcare and other institutions when in doubt or in need of assistance. Additional research and a larger sample size would provide a better insight into the topic of healthcare for international students and the possibilities of taking action.
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