A new, major study released on PR.com reveals the latest trends in travelling abroad for medical treatment, be it for health-related, dental, infertility, obesity or cosmetic treatment or surgery. More than 1,000 patients took part in the study, the largest of its kind in the UK and Europe.
In recent years, increasing numbers of patients in developed countries such as the UK and USA have been opting to travel to other countries to save on the cost of treatment within their own country or to avoid waiting lists associated with certain procedures.
Keith Pollard, Managing Director of Treatment Abroad commented, “I’ve been involved in the cosmetic surgery and medical sector for many years and have witnessed the rapid growth in travel for surgery and treatment. So often overseas treatment is portrayed as being a poor alternative to and yet it’s clear from this survey that that is simply not true. The vast majority of people who go overseas for treatment are delighted with the not only with the experience and the levels of care but also with the results, be it medical or cosmetic – and that, for most people, is the most important thing – that they get the results they want and need.”
This research study, funded by Intuition Communication, was conducted to determine medical tourists’ motivations and experiences, as well as to be used as a tool to provide the industry with feedback on how well it is delivering treatment and services to these patients. Among the findings are new statistics showing what procedures clients are having done, how much they’re saving and whether they’d do it again or recommend it to others.
Some of the key findings are listed below:
- Nine out of ten respondents would definitely or probably go abroad for treatment again and the same number would recommend going abroad for treatment to a friend or relative. 84% would go back to the same doctor, dentist or clinic.
- 51% of respondents travelled to a country they had never been to before for their treatment.
- Patient satisfaction levels for their treatment abroad were high with 85% either “very” or “quite” satisfied with their experience. Levels of satisfaction were highest for infertility and dental treatments. Asked for reasons for their satisfaction, all respondents cited professionalism of staff, price and quality of care.
- Cost was cited by 83% of participants as the most important reason for travelling abroad for treatment. Dental patients also cited the ability to combine treatment with a holiday while cosmetic surgery patients cited worries about hospital infection in the UK. Orthopedic, infertility and obesity surgery patients all cited the ability to avoid waiting lists at home.
The greatest savings were seen to have been for dental and orthopedic treatment.
- 82% of respondents said that clinic or hospital staff spoke their language “very” or “extremely” well. Only 4.4% said staff spoke their language “not at all well,” a regularly-cited concern of those thinking of treatment overseas.
- More than two thirds (67.2%) said they did not require further treatment or follow up on returning home. Seven out of ten were contacted by their overseas clinician or clinic upon their return home, usually by email.
- The average in-patient stay among respondents was just three days with the average trip length being 16 days. The longest stay was for orthopedic patients, the shortest for obesity patients.
Orbicare’s strong presence in the medical tourism industry offers its clients the very same positive above-mentioned results found in the study. With accredited healthcare facilities across South America and Spain, staffed with only the very best, highly-qualified doctors and surgeons, Orbicare continues to grow as the premium choice for medical travel. Contact us at www.orbicare.net or call toll free (888) 398-1355.
Health Travel Specialist 