Involving pharmacists in the provision of pretravel advice — A campaign in Hungary. Preliminary report

Abstract

By the end of World War II, a real "travel industrial revolution" has occurred in the Western democracies. A rapidly growing number of holidaymakers preferred to spend their holidays abroad, with travel becoming increasingly popular. One by one, previous colonies became independent and looked for income, often introducing tourism as the simplest source of finance. In At the end of the 20 th century, a real "travel industrial revolution" occurred in the Eastern European countries. The possibility of traveling abroad without restriction resulted in a new wave of international tourism, both from east to west and vice versa. Unfortunately, the greatest impediment seems to be the disinterest of Hungarian travelers in the healthcare culture of travel. International data indicate that even people from countries with a much more well-developed traveling tradition fail to avail themselves to any degree of the possibilities offered by travel-related prophylaxis. To make the things even worse, the overwhelming majority (94.9%) of Hungarian travelers abroad travel within the European continent, where the endemic infections are not so frightening, and the hygienic conditions are good. Therefore the travel advice is even more neglected. The lack of proper travel advice sources (e.g. travel clinic, travel medicine professionals) in our country also facilitates the uninterested manner of traveler. In order to give a simple, but comprehensive and widespread possibility for travel advice, the author and his colleagues elaborate a program for health promotion. The provision of medical advice by the pharmacist is a well-accepted practice worldwide. Pharmacists should be considered a possible counseling source in the field of travel medicine, therefore they are considered a primary source of travel advice in Hungary. Obviously, an appropriate training and educational program is needed in travel medicine. The basic elements of that training and the body of knowledge are discussed. Author introduces a complex campaign for travel health promotion, with the help of pharmacists, who are uniquely positioned to increase patient access to the prevention and advice on travel-related medical problems.

Managing Medical Emergencies in Hungarian Pharmacies

“…If regulations allow, and Hungarian pharmacists are eager to provide vaccinations and pre-travel advice, the possibility of providing travel-related vaccinations will be achievable, and the optimal position of community pharmacists in providing pre-travel consultation will be properly utilized [12]. However, pharmacists must take part in further education programs ranging from basic first aid interventions to good practice in ALS treatment.…”