Assessing the risk of work-related international travel.
OBJECTIVE
To identify factors affecting the likelihood of requiring medical services during international business trips.


METHODS
Data from more than 800,000 international trips and medical assistance cases provided to 48 multinational corporations in 2009. Travel destination countries were grouped into four a priori risk-related categories.


RESULTS
Travel to "low" medical risk countries in aggregate accounted for more hospitalizations and medical evacuations than travel to "high" medical risk countries. Nevertheless, the risk per trip was much higher for travel to higher medical risk countries.


CONCLUSIONS
Corporations with employees on international travel should allocate sufficient resources to manage and ideally prevent medical issues during business travel. Travel medicine must focus on more than infectious diseases, and programs are necessary for both high- and low-risk regions. Improved understanding of travel-related needs determines resource allocation and risk mitigation efforts.
From International SOS (Drs Druckman, Liu, and Quigley), Trevose, Pa.; and Community, Environment, and Policy Division (Dr Harber), Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson.
Myles
M
Druckman
Philip
P
Harber
Yihang
Y
Liu
Robert L
RL
Quigley
D017732:Air Ambulances / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003132:Commerce; D019049:Developed Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016272:Occupational Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014195:Travel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*