Seeking Health Care Through International Medical Tourism

AbstractPurpose: The purpose of this study was the exploration of international travel experiences for the purpose of medical or dental care from the perspective of patients from Alaska and to develop insight and understanding of the essence of the phenomenon of medical tourism.Study Design and Methods: The study is conceptually oriented within a model of health-seeking behavior. Using a qualitative design, 15 Alaska medical tourists were individually interviewed. The data were analyzed using a hermeneutic process of inquiry to uncover the meaning of the experience.Findings: Six themes reflecting the experiences of Alaska medical tourists emerged: "my motivation," "I did the research," "the medical care I need," "follow-up care," "the advice I give," and "in the future." Subthemes further categorized data for increased understanding of the phenomenon. The thematic analysis provides insight into the experience and reflects a modern approach to health-seeking behavior through international medical tourism.Conclusions: The results of this study provide increased understanding of the experience of obtaining health care internationally from the patient perspective. Improved understanding of medical tourism provides additional information about a contemporary approach to health-seeking behavior.Clinical Relevance: Results of this study will aid nursing professionals in counseling regarding medical tourism options and providing follow-up health care after medical tourism. Nurses will be able to actively participate in global health policy discussions regarding medical tourism trends.Key wordsMedical tourism, health-seeking behavior, qualitativeTraveling internationally to obtain health care is becoming increasingly common due to ease and affordability of global travel. Medical tourism is defined as "organized travel outside of someone's healthcare jurisdiction to enhance or restore health" (Carrera, 2006, p. 1453). It is estimated that 2 million Americans traveled internationally in 2008 to improve their health (Bauer, 2009).Healthcare facilities in over 30 countries, including the United States, are offering medical services to international patients (Bookman & Bookman, 2007; Merrell et al., 2008; Unti, 2009). With increasing medical technology worldwide, there are now numerous healthcare options on the global market for medical tourists, with patients choosing a large variety of required and elective procedures, including health maintenance, prevention, and screening activities (Bookman & Bookman, 2007; Burkett, 2007; Lindvall & Hyun, 2009; Ryan, Sanders, Wang, & Levine, 2010; Unti, 2009; York, 2008). Although, medical tourists often take advantage of vacation activities, their primary objective is healthcare (Bookman & Bookman, 2007). Evans (2008) reports medical tourism in 2006 was a $60 billion industry worldwide.Lower healthcare cost is commonly cited as motivation for medical tourism, with patients finding a 40% to 90% savings in the international healthcare market for comparable procedures (Bookman & Bookman, 2007; Burkett, 2007; Merrell et al., 2008). Medical tourists also travel to avoid wait times for elective procedures in their countries of origin (Evans, 2008; Leahy, 2008). The ability to obtain new or experimental treatments not obtainable within the country of residence may also motivate medical tourists (Blythe & Farrand, 2005; Lindvall & Hyun, 2009; Spar, 2005).Concerns exist regarding medical ethics, global healthcare economics, and the impact on destination countries (Bookman & Bookman, 2007; Merrell et al., 2008). Patient safety and follow-up upon return to the country of residence are also topics of concern (Bookman & Bookman, 2007; Merrell et al., 2008).As noted in this introduction and exploration of available scholarly literature, few studies explore the patients' perspective of seeking to improve their health status in the international market. …