Insights into needs of business travelers to China from calls to a medical assistance provider

Abstract

Background Although 17.5% of German travelers were business travelers in the years 2011–2013, little is known about their pathologies. Recent publications indicate that infections are the primary health issue in general travelers. Our aim was to investigate whether business travelers from Germany to China also primarily suffer from infections. Methods From 2011 to 2013, 587 calls for service of German business travelers to China were collected by a medical assistance provider. 482 of these calls were evaluated regarding demographics, reported diseases and conditions and the type of service provided by the medical assistance company. Results The most common reasons for calls for service were “factors influencing health status and contact with health service” (18.8%), “injury and poisoning” (16.0%) as well as “symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions” (13.7%). Most patients asked for “medical advice” (37.8%), referral to “outpatient care” (25.1%) or “inpatient care” (16.6%). “Evacuation and/or repatriation” was required mainly due to “injury and poisoning” (n = 12), “diseases of the circulatory system” (n = 5) or “mental disorders” (n = 3). Conclusion German business travelers to China are seeking primarily administrative support from a medical assistance provider and are mostly affected by non-infectious diseases. Pre-travel preparation of such travelers need to place more emphasis on non-communicable health risks and prevention.

Cardiovascular Disease Among International Travellers

“…27 In this review, there was a high incidence of CVD among men than women. 27,29,30 This may be due to the complexity of activities more often experienced by women rather than men during travelling. Thus, women are more likely to commute short distances, have more non-work-related trips, travel at off-peak hours, and choose more flexible modes compared to men.…”

“…Four studies evaluated the data from the GeoSentinel clinics' database [24][25][26][27] and three studies analysed the data from population-based registries. [28][29][30] One study had enrolled study participants directly. 31…”

“…24 CVD was reported or diagnosed more commonly in male travellers than that of female travellers. 27,29,30 Sanftenberg and colleagues reported that women were less likely to be reported or diagnosed with CVD during international travel as compared to men (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.47-0.66). 27 Proportionate morbidity due to CVD was higher in old travellers compared to that of young travellers.…”

“…These trends were very significant (P < 0.001). 26 Four studies provided data on how travel destination impacts CVD [28][29][30][31] ; Sanftenberg and colleagues reported that 7.7% of German business travellers to China were reported or diagnosed with CVD while Shaw and colleagues 31 noted that 14% of travellers on a premium tour to Indochina were reported of CVD. Additionally, Thompson and colleagues 30 reported that 6.3% of tourists who visited Jamaica were reported or diagnosed with CVD while Lerdal and colleagues found a high incidence of CVD (5.3%) among Norwegian travelling to Southern and Eastern Europe as compared to other regions.…”