• Brittany M Foley, Jack M Haglin, Joshua Ray Tanzer, and Eltorai Adam E M AEM Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA..
• Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Scottsdale, AZ 85054, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
• J Travel Med. 2019 Sep 2; 26 (6).

BackgroundMedical tourism (MT) is an increasingly utilized modality for acquiring medical treatment for patients globally. This review assimilates the current literature regarding MT, with particular focus on the applications, ethics and economics.MethodsA systematic review of MEDLINE and PubMed Central databases for publications relating to MT from 2005 to 2018 yielded 43 articles for this review.ResultsPatients seeking elective bariatric, cosmetic and orthopedic surgery abroad are motivated by significantly lower costs, all-inclusive vacation packages and reduced wait times. Complication rates as high as 56% include infection, poor aesthetic and functional outcome and adverse cardiovascular events. Cross-border reproductive care has steadily increased due to less restrictive policies in select countries; however, the depth of research on outcomes and quality of care is abysmal. Stem cell therapy promise treatments that are often not well researched and offer minimal evidence of efficacy, yet patients are drawn to treatment through anecdotal advertisements and a last sense of hope. Transplant surgery sought to decrease wait times carries many of the similar aforementioned risks and may contribute to the practice of organ trafficking in countries with high rates of poverty. Patients and countries alike are motivated by a plethora of factors to engage in the MT industry but may be doing so without accurate knowledge of the quality, safety or potential for economic gain. Safety is of utmost importance to prevent surgical complications and the spread of treatment-resistant bacteria.ConclusionsMT is growing in popularity and complexity. The lack of standardization in its definition and regulation leads to difficulty in epidemiologic and economic analysis and ethical issues of informed consent and health equity. The findings of this review may be used by the stakeholders of MT, including patients and providers, to enhance informed decision-making and quality of care.© International Society of Travel Medicine 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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