Are you a Canadian thinking about going abroad for surgery or other medical care?

Are you considering going abroad for medical care? The Simon Fraser University Medical Tourism Research Group has developed the following guide to help inform your decision. This information sheet was developed in consultation with health workers, medical tourism professionals, and researchers in order to help you consider the pros and cons of engaging in medical tourism

Characteristics of a medical tourism industry: The case of South Korea

This study investigates the process involved in developing a medical tourism industry in South Korea as a case country, one of the fastest growing countries with strong potential in the medical tourism industry. It analyzed 252 articles on medical tourism posted on the websites of the Korean Tourism Organization and the Korean International Medical Association. Both sources are highly representative portal websites for medical tourism in the country. The article aims to enhance understanding of medical tourism as a new growth industry while identifying its key developmental characteristics and makes valuable suggestions for the industry that can be reflected to other countries. The study contributes theoretically and practically by examining the unique and updated characteristics and process of positioning of this recently emerging field in the global tourism industry

Sexual risk taking in a community sample of international backpackers visiting Brisbane, Australia

We sought to examine correlations between international backpackers' alcohol consumption and sexual behaviors and determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoea in this population. A cross-sectional study design consisting of a convenience sample (N = 168) of non-treatment-seeking international backpackers visiting Brisbane, Australia was recruited. Participants were asked to self-complete a questionnaire on sexual behavior and to undertake a urine-based polymerase chain reaction test for C trachomatis and N gonorrhoea. Since arriving in Australia, 73.2% reported having had sex, with a median number of 2 different sex partners (range = 0-21). Most participants had consumed alcohol (53.7%) and used condoms (46.3%) the last time they had sex. In our sample, there was a 4.3% prevalence of C trachomatis and a 0% prevalence of N gonorrhoea. This study identified a variable pattern of risk among backpackers, with those spending longer periods in the country more likely to have sex with Australians

Medical tourism and the state in Malaysia and Singapore

10.1177/1468018110379978Global Social Policy103336-35