Something to think about: informing Canadians about ethical concerns in medical tourism

Medical tourists, persons traveling across international borders with the intention of accessing medical care, are often unaware of safety and ethical concerns related to the practice of medical tourism. Accessing medical care as a medical tourist may result in risks to the health of the patient, as well as negative impacts to both destination and departure country health care systems and global health equity. These ethical considerations are not provided in sources of information commonly accessed by Canadian medical tourists. This interview-based study affirms the usefulness of an iterative process for designing an information sheet for Canadians considering engaging in medical tourism and for communicating ethical considerations to consumers of other services. Perceptions from former Canadian medical tourists indicate that this information sheet is useful in raising awareness of the ethical concerns of medical tourism, which may impact medical tourists’ decision-making given adequate additional sources of information and support.