World - The downside of medical tourism

For many, winter signals the need for a vacation to a warmer or milder climate. But today’s global marketplace has introduced a new travel option that is shaping vacation plans for thousands of Americans: medical tourism.

Medical tourism occurs when patients leave their local communities to receive medical care at a foreign hospital or clinic. Patients travel for orthopedic surgery, dental care, IVF and commercial surrogacy, stem cell injections, organ transplants and other procedures.

But should medical tourism be viewed as an all-inclusive approach to successful health care outcomes?

“Medical travel raises many ethical issues, public health concerns and policy challenges,” said Leigh Turner, associate professor at the Center for Bioethics, School of Public Health and College of Pharmacy.

Turner studies medical tourism companies worldwide, and specifically examines the marketing strategies and ethical issues of hospitals trying to attract international patients.

“Finding credible information is a major problem. Many medical tourism companies provide little information about risk, and instead emphasize any benefits associated with going abroad for treatment. A global marketplace for health care doesn’t equate to uniform global health care standards.”

As a result, conflicts of interest arise, challenging basic ethical norms such as providing full disclosure of risks and benefits and ensuring that patients can make informed decisions. Travel abroad can also disrupt continuity of care; for example, a procedure may occur in one country but post-operative treatment must be obtained elsewhere.

Some patients return home with serious complications. When this happens, medical tourists often have no legal recourse if negligent care was given. Also, medical travel can contribute to the spread of infectious diseases and drug-resistant bacteria.

Turner’s blog

Health in the Global Village

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