title: An Approach to Establishing International Quality Standards for Medical Travel.
abstract: The number of individuals traveling abroad is increasing annually. The rising popularity of medical travel and the absence of clear minimum quality requirements in this area urgently call for the development of international standards to ensure good practice and patient safety. The aim of this study is to identify the key domains in medical travel where quality standards should be established. Drawing from the evidence-based OECD framework and an extensive literature review, this study proposes three critical areas for consideration: minimum standards of health-care facilities and third-party agencies, financial responsibility, and patient centeredness. Several cultural challenges have been introduced that may pose a barrier to development of the guidelines and should be taken into consideration. Establishing international quality standards in medical travel enhances benefits to patients and providers, which is an urgent necessity given the rapid growth in this industry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University , Brno , Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ondřej
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kácha
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow , Glasgow , UK.
authors.forename: Beáta E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.affiliation: Mary Immaculate College , Limerick , Ireland.
authors.forename: Cormac
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen , Nijmegen , Netherlands.
authors.forename: Angela A T
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Schuurmans
authors.affiliation: Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dobyns
authors.affiliation: Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge , Cambridge , UK.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Haller
authors.affiliation: The Policy Institute, King's College London , London , UK.
authors.forename: Saba
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hinrichs
authors.affiliation: Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Policy Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
keywords: health care; international quality standards; medical insurance; medical travel; patient centeredness; public policy