OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify possible barriers to and facilitators of cervical cancer screening by (a) estimating time and travel costs and other direct non-medical costs incurred in attending clinic-based cervical cancer screening, (b) investigating screening compliance and reasons for noncompliance, (c) determining women's knowledge of human papillomavirus (HPV), its relationship to ...

The majority of health problems encountered in association with travel stem from preexisting, perhaps latent, illness in the individual which may be exacerbated by the rigours and hazards of travel. It is essential that the advising physician understands the hazards that are likely to be encountered during travel in order that they may develop informed decisions regarding fitness for travel and...

With the aim to identify at-risk individuals among a cohort of international travellers, 3442 individuals who sought advice at Marseille travel health centre in 2009 were prospectively included. Demographics, travel characteristics, chronic medical conditions, vaccinations and antimalarial chemoprophylaxis were documented. Chronic medical conditions were reported by 11% of individuals, includin...

BACKGROUND Medical tourism is international travel with the intention of receiving medical care. Medical tourists travel for many reasons, including cost savings, limited domestic access to specific treatments, and interest in accessing unproven interventions. Medical tourism poses new health and safety risks to patients, including dangers associated with travel following surgery, difficulty as...

Cancer creates a tremendous financial burden. Cancer-related costs are categorized into direct, indirect, and psychosocial costs. Although there have been many reports on medical care costs, which are direct, those on other costs are extremely scarce. We estimated travel time and costs required for cancer patients to receive outpatient treatment. We studied 521 cancer patients receiving anti-ca...

MORE than two billion passengers board commercial airplanes every year.§ Airline travel is inherently safe and reasonably comfortable, but factors including psychological stress, jet lag, and preexisting disease cause a small number of passengers to become ill while flying. The average age of airline passengers is increasing with that of the general population, and older passengers may have one...

BACKGROUND Medical tourism is a growing phenomenon. This review of the literature maps current knowledge and discusses findings with reference to the UK National Health Service (NHS). METHODS Databases were systematically searched between September 2011 and March 2012 and 100 papers were selected for review. RESULTS The literature shows specific types of tourism depending on treatment, eg, ...

OBJECTIVES Preliminary investigations of whether 10,884 staff and consultants of the World Bank experience disease due to work related travel. Medical insurance claims filed by 4738 travellers during 1993 were compared with claims of non-travellers. METHODS Specific diagnoses obtained from claims were analysed overall (one or more v no missions) and by frequency of international mission (1, 2...

Travel insurers and medical evacuation companies have a responsibility to provide an efficient high-quality service to their clients. These companies often deliver a standard far short of best practice and far short of their promotional brochures. Their services are overdue for governmental review and a lifting of standards. Travellers must be given realistic advice about the risks of foreign t...

Introduction: Travel agencies may be consulted by intending travelers seeking pre-travel health advice. Travel agents should be equipped to deal with such queries and have access to a source of high quality travel health advice. This study aimed to establish the level of knowledge of travel health risks among Irish travel agencies. Methods: A web-based su...