Diasporic medical tourism: a scoping review of quantitative and qualitative evidence

Abstract

Background: There is a growing recognition of the significance of the diasporic dimension of medical travel. Explanations of medical tourism are increasingly presented in a wider context of transnationalism, diaspora and migration. Yet diaspora and cross-border travellers rarely get through the broader narrative of medical travel. Objective: Our aim in this scoping review was to extend the current knowledge on the emerging subject of diasporic travels for medical purposes. Specifically, we reviewed the existing literature on what is known about the determinants and motivational factors of diasporic medical tourism; its geographic scope and its quantitative estimation. Methods: Using a scoping review methodology, we conducted the search in seven electronic databases. It resulted in 210 records retrieved. Ultimately, 28 research papers and 6 non-research papers (published between 2002 and 2019) met the following criteria: 1) focus on healthcare and health-related practices, 2) transnational perspective, 3) healthcare consumption in the country of origin (homeland) while being a resident of another country, 4) published in English. Results: The findings from our review highlighted the importance of diasporic medical patients who had been researched and analysed on four continents. Even though quantitative evidence has been scarce, the data analysed in the scoping review pointed to the existence of non-negligible level of diasporic medical tourism in Northern America, and in Europe. Various motivational factors were enumerated with their frequency of occurrence: medical culture (12), time availability ("by the way of being home") (9), communication (6), dissatisfaction with the current system (6), healthcare insurance status (5), quality of healthcare (5), second opinion (3), and value for money (3).

Digital Information Technology Use and Transnational Healthcare: A Population-Based Study on Older Russian-Speaking Migrants in Finland

“…In addition, weak local language skills, poor health status, as well as discrimination and experienced inconveniences (e.g., cross-cultural misunderstanding and differing expectations of care) experienced in the healthcare system of the country of residence may encourage people to return ‘home’ for care [ 8 , 9 , 20 , 22 ]. Health services of the origin and destination countries are often used in parallel and not necessarily as mutually exclusive alternatives [ 10 , 12 ].…”

“…Transnational healthcare may be an option that helps migrants find preferred forms of care. However, some migrants may find THC as their only option due to barriers of access to healthcare, such as inadequate language skills, insufficient knowledge of the healthcare system, or fear of discrimination [ 8 , 10 , 12 ].…”

Orthopedic Tourism and Volunteerism: Joint Effort or Disjointed Mobility?

“…The availability of inexpensive flights and the internet have also been instrumental. The modern trend is for medical tourists to travel from more developed to developing countries, with diasporic medical tourists being particularly inclined to seek out medical care in countries with which they share a birth or ancestral link and from clinicians who have trained in developed countries [ 5 ]. Developed countries themselves remain popular as destinations for high-quality specialized medical care for wealthy patients traveling from abroad.…”

Scoping the literature on patient travel abroad for cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment

“…Over the past decade, literature has addressed diverse treatments and travel routes. [8][9][10][11][12][13] Yet as Kaspar (p.125) notes, 14 'research on medical travel has hitherto largely underestimated cancer' . The lacunae is surprising given the prognosis of cancer increases demand for timely, effective and, what are perceived as, higher quality treatments.…”