Importance of post-operative care during medical tourism

The list of medical options a traveller has when engaging in health tourism is endless. The medical journey could be for a simple a check-up, or for major surgery. For those engaging in diagnostic treatments, you may not require any post-operative care arrangements, as you will be most likely to receive the procedure upon your return home. However, if you are flying abroad in order to avail surgical procedures, you should read this section very carefully as post-operative care in your case is the most crucial aspect of medical tourism. It requires thorough planning and careful preparation to ensure your post-operative needs are met, and that you have adequate continuity of care.

Difference between post-operative care and continuity of care

efore we begin highlighting the main preparations required, it might be helpful to clarify the difference between post-operative care and continuity of care. Post-operative requirements refer to the patient’s needs as soon as the treatment has been completed. The care begins in the recovery room and continues throughout the patient discharge. Critical concerns for post-operative care are proper breathing, pain control, mental status, and wound healing. For medical tourists who want to return back home, there may be concerns regarding air travel if you have not fully recovered, such as the risk of developing blood clots or deep vein thrombosis.

Continuity of care on the other hand is defined as the continuation of health services once the patient returns home from the medical journey. This would mean connecting back with your local doctor and continuing communication with your overseas physician to ensure appropriate recuperation from the surgery. Continuity of care remains a crucial aspect of medical tourism as it will affect the rest of a patient’s life if proper care is not taken.

Comprehensive planning for post-operative and continuity of care during medical tourism

Thorough planning within the post-operative phase is an essential factor that all medical tourists should consider. To ensure the complete success of the medical tourism experience, it is important that you should plan for post-operative care before you travel abroad. This is because once you return back home, you will still be recuperating from your procedure and therefore may not be in the best shape to take on extra stress and unnecessary tension. Comprehensive planning for post-operative and continuity of care can be divided into five sections: A) Continuity of care preparations prior to travelling B) Post-operative tips while you are at destination C) Continuity of care requirements when at destination D) Post-operative tips while you are travelling back home and E) Continuity of Care arrangements after returning home

A) Continuity of care preparations before medical travel: Identifying your post-operative provider before you travel

Before you leave the country, it is important to ensure that you will have an appropriate healthcare provider that will be able to cater to your medical needs once you have returned from your journey. Usually, your family doctor will play the predominant role in providing you with the necessary continuity of care. Therefore, prior to travelling, it is essential that you discuss all the details with your local doctor, to make him/her completely aware of the medical plan of action that is to be employed upon your return.

In the case that you lack a healthcare provider in your home country, you must coordinate with your treating doctor in the medical tourism destination before you leave. Usually international doctors have widespread networks within several regions around the world. They should be able to assist you in either finding a physician or a healthcare facility close by where you can access care.

In the event that your treating facility lacks the ability to provide post-operative care once you are back in your home country, utilize the services of a facilitator. A facilitator has good connections with several hospitals and clinics in each region, and should certainly guarantee you appropriate medical care upon your return.

In worst case situations, there is the availability of certain healthcare organizations within the medical tourism sector that focuses purely on connecting patients with post-operative care services. They have taken advantage of this niche market, and are available for patients that lack a healthcare provider. By doing a quick internet search, you should get results on how to contact and communicate with such organizations.

A) Continuity of care preparations before medical travel: Digitalizing medical documents

Digitalizing medical documents is a great way to preserve and carry all the medical documents in a secure and convenient manner. By digitizing medical information, patients can be in charge of their own medical records and can easily carry them in a portable format, worldwide. Digitizing medical records and taking ownership of them is pertinent as more and more people travel globally nowadays.

As portable and dependable storage devices such as USB drives are widely accepted all over, you can easily produce or refer to the relevant information anytime you require. Portable electronic medical records not only help in augmenting the quality of healthcare, but are also instrumental in reducing the cost. With digitized medical documents, patients can easily update their treating doctor and their local doctor regarding their progress during the post-operative recovery phase.

A) Continuity of care preparations before medical travel: Medical tourists should prepare for their return home

When you return back from your medical journey, it is likely that you might still be in a lot of pain or recovering from your treatment. This is why it is necessary to stock your house with all the requirements you would need once you return. This includes the food that you would be able to eat post-surgery, medications you would need to take and any medical or non-medical supplies—e.g. a wheelchair or cane— you may require.

Your friends and family back home should be able to help you with all these necessary preparations. Hence, it is necessary to inform them of your requirements so they ensure all the preparations are ready for your return.

B) Tips to follow while still at post-operative care at destination: Recovery once treatment is completed

Once the treatment has been completed successfully, you are still under the supervision of the medical staff at the facility. This means they will take care of whatever post-operative needs you might have. It is at this point that you should express yourself completely to the physician or nurse in charge. Tell them wherever you feel pain or discomfort. If you lack a companion, they should also assist you in communicating with your family back home to discuss how the surgery went. Utilize all the services you would require at this point as this will be the only time post-operatively that you will have access to proper medical care.