Advertisement

Principles of Pre-travel Healthcare

  • Joseph Torresi
  • Sarah McGuinness
  • Karin Leder
  • Daniel O’Brien
  • Tilman Ruff
  • Mike Starr
  • Katherine Gibney
Chapter
First Online:
  • 221 Downloads

Abstract

The pre-travel health consultation provides an opportunity to assess the health risks of travel for an individual and provide education and advice to promote healthy travel. A key component of the pre-travel consultation is an individualised health risk assessment, based on traveller demographics and details of the planned trip (including itinerary, duration and planned activities). Comprehensive pre-travel healthcare should include the provision of appropriate interventions (such as immunisations), as well as tailored education and advice about health risks, risk reduction strategies and appropriate care of illness or injury should it occur. Advice should be individualised, but there are several common themes and principles that underpin sound, consistent and high-quality health advice for travel, which are outlined in this chapter. Those advising travellers should be familiar with these principles, have a good working knowledge of travel medicine issues (including disease epidemiology) and know when and how to access up-to-date information. Due to the nature and volume of complex information provided during pre-travel consultations, it is essential to provide travellers with clear and concise supplementary information.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Key Reading

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Yellow Book 2018: Health Information for International Travel. New York: Oxford University Press; 2017. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/yellowbook-home. Accessed 24 Dec 2018.
  2. Flaherty GT, Chen B, Avalos G. Individual traveller health priorities and the pre-travel health consultation. J Travel Med. 2017;24(6)Google Scholar
  3. Gherardin T. The pre-travel consultation—an overview. Aust Fam Physician. 2007;36(5):300–3.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. Hensey CC, Gwee A. Counterfeit drugs: an Australian perspective. Med J Aust. 2016;204(9):344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Hill DR, Ericsson CD, Pearson RD, Keystone JS, et al. The practice of travel medicine: guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin Infect Dis. 2006;43(12):1499–539.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Johnston A, Holt DW. Substandard drugs: a potential crisis for public health. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;78:218–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Jong EC, Sanford C. The travel and tropical medicine manual. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders; 2008.Google Scholar
  8. Keystone J, Freedman DO, Kozarsky PE, Connor BA, Nothdurft HD. Travel medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders; 2012.Google Scholar
  9. Kozicki M, Steffen R, Schar M. ‘Boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it’: does this rule prevent travellers’ diarrhoea? Int J Epidemiol. 1985;14(1):169–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Leder K, Steffen R, Cramer JP, Greenaway C. Risk assessment in travel medicine: how to obtain, interpret and use risk data for informing pre-travel advice. J Travel Med. 2015;22(1):13–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Leggat PA. Travel medicine: an Australian perspective. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2005;3(2):67–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. McGuinness SL, Spelman T, Johnson DF, Leder K. Immediate recall of health issues discussed during a pre-travel consultation. J Travel Med. 2015;22(3):145–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. O’Brien D, Tobin S, Brown GV, Torresi J. Fever in returned travellers: review of hospital admissions for a 3-year period. Clin Infect Dis. 2001;33(5):603–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Prociv P. Deaths of Australian travellers overseas. Med J Aust. 1995;163:27–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Ryan ET, Kain KC. Health advice and immunizations for travellers. N Engl J Med. 2000;342:1716–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Spira AM. Preparing the traveller. Lancet. 2003;361:1368–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Steffen R, DuPont HL, Wilder-Smith A. Manual of travel medicine and health. 3rd ed. Hamilton: Decker; 2007.Google Scholar
  18. Steffen R, Rickenbach M, Wilhelm U, Helminger A, Schar M. Health problems after travel to developing countries. J Infect Dis. 1987;156(1):84–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Turner D, McGuinness SL, Leder K. Antibiotic resistance and overseas travel: souvenirs that are not in your suitcase. Med Today. 2018;19(9):56–8.Google Scholar
  20. Wilder-Smith A, Khairullah NS, Song JH, Chen CY, Torresi J. Travel health knowledge, attitudes and practices among Australasian travelers. J Travel Med. 2004;11(1):9–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. World Health Organization. International travel and health (The ‘Green Book’) [online]. 2012. http://www.who.int/ith/en/. Assessed 5 July 2018.Google Scholar
  22. Zwar NA, Travel Health Advisory Group. Hepatitis risk and vaccination among Australian travellers overseas. Med J Aust. 2003;178(9):469–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019

Authors and Affiliations

  • Joseph Torresi
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
  • Sarah McGuinness
    • 5
    • 6
  • Karin Leder
    • 7
    • 8
  • Daniel O’Brien
    • 9
    • 10
  • Tilman Ruff
    • 11
    • 12
  • Mike Starr
    • 13
  • Katherine Gibney
    • 14
  1. 1.Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Physician University of Melbourne, Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyThe Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
  2. 2.Knox Private HospitalMelbourneAustralia
  3. 3.Epworth Eastern HospitalMelbourneAustralia
  4. 4.Austin HospitalMelbourneAustralia
  5. 5.Infectious Diseases Physician, Department of Infectious DiseasesThe Alfred Hospital and Monash UniversityMelbourneAustralia
  6. 6.Lecturer, Infectious Disease Epidemiology UnitSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash UniversityMelbourneAustralia
  7. 7.Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Physician, Head of Infectious Disease EpidemiologySchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash UniversityMelbourneAustralia
  8. 8.Head of Travel Medicine and Immigrant Health, Victorian Infectious Disease ServiceRoyal Melbourne Hospital Peter Doherty, Institute for Infection and ImmunityMelbourneAustralia
  9. 9.Associate Professor, Victorian Infectious Diseases ServiceRoyal Melbourne HospitalMelbourneAustralia
  10. 10.Department of Infectious DiseasesUniversity Hospital GeelongGeelongAustralia
  11. 11.Associate Professor, Nossal Institute for Global HealthSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
  12. 12.International Medical Advisor, Australian Red Cross (1996–2019)Founding Head of Travel Medicine at Fairfield and Royal Melbourne HospitalsMelbourneAustralia
  13. 13.Paediatrician, Infectious Diseases Physician, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Director of Paediatric Education, Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
  14. 14.Infectious Diseases Physician, Public Health Physician and Senior Research FellowThe Austin Hospital, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, and The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and ImmunityMelbourneAustralia

Personalised recommendations

Cite chapter

Buy options