Medical Tourism in the US - Research Paper Example

? College Medical tourism means travelling to other countries to get healthcare services. On the other hand, prescription medical tourism occurs when countries receive drugs, medicinal herbs and other nutritional supplements from other countries. This is a common practice in this day and century and the trend embraced by many countries globally. In the United States of America, it is widely known and most citizens prefer to get treatment from other countries while others buy drugs that not manufactured in their own countries. Prescription medicine tourism works well especially with the use of internet. People simply have a wide source of information. Manufacturing companies that major in medicine have gone online as they market and sell their drugs online. The many blogs on medicine for the many different types of diseases are accessible easily by people and by hospitals, both private and public. In hospitals, it is a normal trend whereby drugs come from other countries and used to treat patients in their country. The doctors simply take tests on the drugs imported and when they approve for it used the manufacturing company from the other country becomes the main supplier of the specific drug. This is an exchange of medical knowledge and supply. It is helping many hospitals globally and the patients at large. Although there is competition among the medical specialists, prescription medicine tourism is the way to go for most countries. A country may not have all the necessary medical resources to treat the many diseases that are coming up and growing at a faster rate. Therefore, when its needed drugs are imported and this is what people know as prescription medical tourism. There are many benefits of using the prescription medical tourism method as means of treating patients. The main benefit is patients tend to start trusting their doctors regardless of the fact that the drug is from another country. Most of the doctors risk when they use these imported drugs on their patients and when the results are positive they become trustable by their patients. The user of the drug tends to trust the doctors experience and this is what every doctor wants. Patients therefore stick with that doctor for long when it comes to medical consultations. For the country or the medical manufacturing company drugs and selling them to other hospitals in their own country and internationally, huge profits are seen. The company gets to supply the drug largely and gains a lot of profit. The country with the manufacturing company clearly increases its gross domestic product and this helps in improving the economy of the country. The profits become huge when the country is the sole supplier of a particular drug or medical technology. Another benefit that the suppliers get is the large number customers globally. Any individual who recovers after their particular drugs and treatment will definitely tell others about it. The supplier is recognized and their customers stick with their drugs. Good reputation is important for any medical institution especially those that manufacture drugs and they have to work hard to maintain it. Prescription medical tourism known online, has major influence. Individuals do not need a medical professional when researching online for a particular drug or any other nutritional supplement. This helps people get the required drug faster and easier. In the process of researching on the drug people get to learn about other drugs that they did not know of. The blogs with medical prescription offer all the required detail to their customers. The important details include the price of the drug, the treatments it gives and the side effects. They also give details on where to purchase the drug maybe in a city or a certain country. The individual chooses the drug that suits their symptoms and learns more about the causes of the illness, its control and treatment and that is where the prescription comes in. This online interaction saves time and money when compared to visiting a hospital. The individuals have the opportunity to ask questions online. There are many reasons why individuals and hospitals are using prescription medical tourism. It becomes an advantage to all and more especially the medical institutions, both the one prescribing drugs and the one receiving the prescription. Countries embracing this treatment method are rarely loosing patients due to lack of required resources. Patients will only visit and trust a hospital with the required resource especially drugs. The hospitals using prescribed medical tourism saved themselves from court suing by their patients. Mostly, when a patient dies due to lack of the correct drug prescription, the blame goes to the medical institution. The family of the deceased sues the hospital for neglecting the patient. Other hospitals may also blame that hospital in a case where there was a solution of an imported drug being used and was not used. Need for quality medical care even when it requires the hospital to import a drug is important. Patients rarely visit hospitals that have lots of suing records. Individuals on the other hand seek prescribed medical tourism because it is a cheap and readily available means of treatment. Searching online is doable anytime and there are no heavy expenses incurred. When citizens do not trust their local drugs, they tend to shop online for the particular drug. In addition, when the local drugs are expensive individuals prefer using prescribed medical tourism as their means of treatment method. Medical care is a vital part of every individual and everyone goes for the best quality and affordable means. Prescription medical tourism is growing fast and taking the lead when it comes to medical care. With the improved technology, this method is effective and for the monopolistic suppliers of drugs and medical technology they are the main beneficiaries of this method. It is working and helping patients globally. Even though most of the doctors have received the same training, the team they work with may not entirely help the doctor grow in the field of experience when actually treating patients thus most hospitals find themselves using the prescription medical tourism method for treating their patients. Although prescription medicine is trending so quickly, it is associated with a number of many risks and disadvantages to the patients and to medical institutions. Medical care requires professionalism as in some cases it is a matter of life and death. Individuals who research online for medical care do not get the one on one interaction with the physician and this may lead to getting the wrong prescription. Different illnesses may have similar symptoms hence the prescription needs to be accurate. Complications arise when the patient seeks online medical prescription from another country without a check up by a doctor. The world is currently not a fraud free place. People do anything to get wealth including manufacturing wrong drugs for diseases. They do this and the ignorant individual who does not have imported drugs tested will suffer huge loss. The drugs may be harmful to the body and cause serious problems. Medical institutions test drugs in their laboratories before using them on patients. They may test and find that the drugs are not working and being first timers there is very little they can do in effort to sue the fraudsters. Individuals who get their prescriptions online from other countries put themselves at risk. This is because they have no clue of the physicians qualifications s they consult them online. It might be the cheaper means of treatment but it lacks personal touch and this can cause problems. A doctor who is not qualified will give the wrong prescription hence making the patient’s condition even worse. Again suing the doctor when it is a case of different countries is close to impossible. Private hospitals, which are new to the industry or are small, lack quality laboratory procedures. When they order for their prescription online from other countries they do not know if the pharmacy they are buying the drugs from is certified or if the medical specialists is authorized and has the required certificate. This whole process involves shipping of the drugs and during that, time and mostly shippers tamper with the drugs. Therefore, private hospitals feel challenged by that factor. In cases where the patient has to travel to another country to acquire the prescription, they face many challenges. Most countries have their own national languages and if a doctor does not understand the language of the foreign patient, wrong prescription is possibly given. It is also difficult to get an interpreter in the country that urgent. This language barrier is a hindrance for prescription medicine tourism. The doctor giving the wrong drug is a common trend when people do not understand each other. Therefore, communication is a key factor during medical consultation. During travelling to get a medical prescription abroad, patients put themselves at risk especially when they have undergone a surgical procedure. Complications like blood clots in different parts of the body may lead to death. These are in sensitive areas such as the lungs. Caution is vital when planning for a prescription medicine tourism program that involves patients having to travel. Adapting to a new culture, which is very different from the one a patient knows, becomes tricky when patients travel abroad for medical care. The doctors will do their job of treating the patient but when the culture around the patient is uncomfortable, it becomes even hard for the patient to recover well as expected. For instance, if the food the patient eats while on treatment is different and not adaptable, the patient experiences a hard time and a lot of strain during recovery, which should not be the case. Proper medical care is essential and most governments are cautious when accepting any form of drug from other countries. Embracing prescription medicine tourism is one thing and taking caution is another. Government medical laboratories have a huge task of ensuring that the drugs acquired from other countries are authentic and usable on patients for positive results. A process that involves experiments done and observations made on each drug. Doctors use the drug after its completely analyzed. Most countries have organizations that help in protecting the citizens and medical institutions from receiving wrong drugs from abroad. These organizations aim at regulating medical supplements that the country receives, both nutritional and medical drugs. Some countries on the other hand have organizations that work so hard against prescription medicine tourism. These organizations actually bill for laws that prohibit the program of medical tourism when it comes to prescriptions. Economically, this is against principles that allow free marketing. Although the aim of the organizations is to protect, the country and citizens suffer greatly from lack of sufficient medical resources. Globally, there are several countries that people seek medical care. In these countries, medical tourism is a major trend as they receive many patients from other parts of the globe. India is one of the leading countries that receives a large number of patients especially those that need surgical treatment. United States is also an example of the countries where medical tourism is at large. In this case, citizens opt to leave their country because they cannot afford the medical treatment. Although the country has qualified doctors, the average citizen prefers to go abroad in order to afford treatment. The wealthy people from other counties go for treatment in the United States as they can afford. In other cases, citizens can afford treatment anywhere but if the medical procedure they require is not approved in their country, they are forced travel abroad for treatment. Some hospitals have branches all over the globe and in a case where one of their doctors works in another country; they send their patients there for prescription and treatment. These cases are normal, as patients are referable to other countries globally. Therefore, some hospitals and individuals function really well with medical tourism program when the situation forces them. Another factor that leads to medical tourism is the fact that people loathe waiting for long especially due to lack of enough staff. In times of urgency, the patients suffer a lot as the hospitals have less staff. Patients lose their lives waiting in line for treatment. This situation causes many to opt for medical tourism as treatment procedures occur as soon as they arrive. Hospital with enough staff will always attract patients from all parts of the globe. Many will know their fast services as their patients tend to spread the word after leaving the hospital. A hospital is all about the nursing services given to the patients. The doctor only treats and gives instructions to the nurse. A patient is on most occasions in the hands of the nurses, therefore some people opt for medical tourism due to the care given by nurses abroad. Good nursing in some way helps in the process of recovery mostly in surgical treatments. The patient with adequate care recovers with no strain as the nurses do their job. In surgical treatments, patients require care even after they leave the hospital. Some people will go for the medical tourism program because of that care given to them even when they are resting at home after leaving the hospital. Hospitals give the patients a personal assistant when leaving the hospital and the assistant should help them with all their personal needs. The patient incurs no extra expenses. The hospital hires the assistant not the patient. This attracts people hence the increase of medical tourism. Testimonials viewed online about certain global hospitals have helped in increasing medical tourism. Positive comments about a hospital will definitely attract patients. Everyone will want to receive treatment from a well reputable medical institution. Regardless of the location, some individual prefer travelling for medical reasons just to get the best services globally. This is mainly associated with the wealthy who can afford the cost to travel and pay the huge hospital bills. The wealthy in the society also prefer medical tourism program in order to hit two birds with one stone. They get the medical treatment they need and thereafter tour the country to various tourist attraction sites. Medical tourism is also essential as it offers people the opportunity to familiarize themselves with medical services given in different parts of the globe. Health care offered in discounted form is a major factor leading to medical tourism and prescription medicine tourism. In conclusion, the main factor leading to increased prescription medicine tourism is associated with costs that come along with it. It is cheap in terms of the costs of drugs and time saving as there is little or no consultation with a medical practitioner. This trend is growing among most countries and is helping in sharing knowledge in the medical world. Appreciation of medical researchers both locally and internationally is important and awards those whose efforts have greatly influenced the medical world greatly. Prescription medicine tourism has its pros and cons that both individuals and medical institutions should consider before venturing into it. However, everyone globally should embrace this program. References Pease, W., Cooper, M., Gururajan, R., & IGI Global. (2010). biomedical knowledge management: Infrastructures and processes for e-health systems. Hershey, Pa: IGI Global (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, USA. Madagascar. (1995). Madagascar: On-line information service of the Embassy of Madagascar, Washington, D.C. Washington, and D.C: The Embassy. BRAZIER, M. A. R. G. A. R. E. T. (2011). MEDICINE, PATIENTS AND THE LAW. LONDON: PENGUIN BOOKS. Buckley, J. P., & University of Keele. (2002). Ratings of perceived exertion and pain in the assessment and prescription of exercise. Keele: Keele University. Chee, H. L. (January 01, 2010). Medical tourism and the state in Malaysia and Singapore. Global Social Policy, 10, 3, 336-357. Lee, M. R. (January 01, 2009). Is It Really Medicine? The Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act and Informal Health Economy in the Philippines. Asia-pacific Journal of Public Health, 21, 3, 333-345. Shangali, C. F., Zilihona, I. J. E., Mwang'ingo, P. L. P., & Nummelin, M. (December 01, 2008). Use of Medicinal Plants in the Eastern Arc Mountains with Special Reference to the Hehe Ethnic Group in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. Journal of East African Natural History, 97, 2, 225-254. Strasser, B., Siebert, U., & Schobersberger, W. (January 01, 2010). Resistance Training in the Treatment of the Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Resistance Training on Metabolic Clustering in Patients with Abnormal Glucose Metabolism. Sports Medicine, 40, 5, 397-415. Saxena, K. B. (January 01, 2011). Trade in Health Services Implications for People's Health. Social Change, 41, 2, 183-213. Susanne, H., Franziska, H., & Jonas, H. (January 01, 2012). Health tourism: definition focused on the Swiss market and conceptualisation of health (i) ness. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 26, 1, 60-80. Read More

 

Read More