BACKGROUND Despite having access to medically necessary care available through publicly funded provincial health care systems, some Canadians travel for treatment provided at international medical facilities as well as for-profit clinics found in several Canadian provinces. Canadians travel abroad for orthopaedic surgery, bariatric surgery, ophthalmologic surgery, stem cell injections, "Liberat...

Introduction Each year approximately 1 billion people travel by air on the many domestic and international airlines. It has been predicted that in the coming two decades, the number of passengers will double. A global increase in travel, as well as an increasingly aged population in many countries, makes it reasonable to assume that there will be a significant increase in older passengers and p...

The terms ‘medical tourism’ and ‘health tourism’ cover many phenomena. Individuals able to afford the costs have frequently traveled great distances to consult with healers considered especially competent in their field. A reputation for expertise has, for the past century, been linked to technological capacity and those who can do so may prefer to travel to places such as the Mayo Clinic rathe...

The potential benefits of travelling across national borders to obtain medical treatment include improved care, decreased costs and reduced waiting times. However, medical travel involves additional risks, compared to obtaining treatment domestically. We review the publicly-available evidence on medical travel. We suggest that medical travel needs to be understood in terms of its potential risk...

Travel for medical care is increasing globally. This ranges from patients with urgent medical needs who must travel abroad for specialist care, to medical tourists who elect to have certain procedures abroad. While estimated increases of patients traveling abroad for medical care vary, more empirical research and evidence is needed to understand the scale, reasons, and consequences of travel. T...