Medical tourism has a bad reputation, but what can we do about that?

Let’s face it… we’re in a business which has few fans and lots of critics whatever country you are in:

• “Treatment abroad: Greater choice, greater risk”…says the BBC web site today.
• “Medical tourism can leave you in stitches” says the Australian Medical Association
• “UK Woman Dies in Philly after Buttocks Injection” reports CBS News

Much of the coverage that medical tourism gets in the media is negative. It’s about medical tourism gone wrong. As an industry we can combat “bad news” by creating “good news” stories about medical tourism.

Positive media coverage of medical tourism can be achieved through telling the other side of the medical tourism story….. medical tourism gone wrong makes better headlines than medical tourism gone right but as an industry we need to do much more to stimulate positive coverage.

One way that you can help to improve the image of medical tourism is by encouraging patients to participate in the 2011 medical tourism survey. The previous survey was completed by 650 patients who had travelled to another country for surgery, medical or dental treatment and provided the media with a much more informed view of the experiences of medical and dental tourists.

The 2011 survey will provide insight into:

• Why patients decide to travel for treatment.
• What kind of treatment they undergo.
• What they spend on the trip.
• The good and bad aspects of their customer and patient experience

Who is doing the research?

The research is being undertaken by European Research Specialists on behalf of Intuition Communication who run the International Medical Travel Journal and Treatment Abroad. The research data will be provided at no charge to a Medical Tourism Research Team led by Dr Neil Lunt at the University of York and Professor Richard Smith at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The team recently completed a review of Medical Tourism for the OECD.

• Find out more about the 2011 Treatment Abroad medical tourism survey

The cost of the research will be borne by Intuition Communication. Intuition will also offer £100 (or €150 or $150) of Amazon vouchers to five participants drawn at random, who complete the survey in full. In addition, for every completed questionnaire, we will donate £1 to Smile Train, an international charity that provides cleft palate surgery to children around the world.

How can you help?

If you are a healthcare provider who provides services to international patients, why not encourage them to participate in the survey? Provided that more than twenty patients who have used your services complete the survey, you will receive a free copy of the full report of the research. The research will also give you a broader understanding of your customers that will help to guide your marketing and your business strategy.

• Find out more about the 2011 Treatment Abroad medical tourism survey