Challenges with medical tourism.
Journal
Current opinion in critical care
ISSN: 1531-7072
Titre abrégé: Curr Opin Crit Care
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 9504454
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
26 Feb 2024
26 Feb 2024
Historique:
medline:
5
3
2024
pubmed:
5
3
2024
entrez:
5
3
2024
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
With the return of international travels to almost prepandemic levels, the number of patients who travel abroad to seek healthcare services is once again growing rapidly. Nevertheless, the expected benefits of medical tourism may be challenged by serious infectious complications. This review summarizes the evolving published evidence on infectious complications related with medical tourism of the last eighteen months. There has been an increase of reported infectious complications in patients who had received healthcare abroad. Such complications were frequently associated with serious and prolonged morbidity, repeated treatments and hospitalizations, high healthcare costs, and occasionally fatalities. A devastating outbreak of fungal meningitis occurred among US residents who underwent epidural anesthesia for cosmetic surgery in two clinics in Mexico. Overall, as of July 5, 2023 there were 31 cases with severe cerebrovascular complications and eight deaths. Infections caused by nontuberculum mycobacteria and Candida sp have been also reported the last years. Considering the expected expansion of medical tourism in the forthcoming years, public health authorities and scientific societies should raise awareness of such infections among physicians and other healthcare professionals and issue recommendations for their management. A system to report complications in patients receiving healthcare abroad is needed.
Identifiants
pubmed: 38441086
doi: 10.1097/MCC.0000000000001148
pii: 00075198-990000000-00158
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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