Wellabroad.com Blog

One of the last things you expect to happen to you when you are traveling outside of the United States is to end up in a hospital, and even if you are traveling in a highly populated area with US owned hospitals, don’t anticipate that your medical delivery experience will be anything like that you receive in the US.

When thinking about how I could best prepare people for medical culture shock when traveling, I remembered the preparation tactics of a white water rafting guide I had that I thought would be helpful. While preparing a team of non-experienced rafters for extreme level 5 rapids, our guide made us all jump in the water to get over the “shock” of freezing temperatures. His theory was we would have enough fear and things to shock us if we fell out of the raft going down a rushing rapid without adding in the shock of water temperature – at least we would be prepared for that.

So my theory for international travelers would be to talk to read forums, talk to other travelers or expats in an area, call your travel insurance company in advance and get the picture in your mind of the medical delivery system “just in case” so you can at least be prepared for the culture you will face in an emergency situation. For example, even in developed countries with modern hospital equipment and US trained doctors, you might want to ask questions like these before you go: Are there private rooms? Are there private showering or bathroom areas? Are there phones in the rooms or access to make calls? Are there visiting hours or can you expect people in and out of the rooms at all times? Of course it is always good to get an idea of the credentials of the hospitals and providers as well as the types of care accessible in the area where you are traveling. Sites like Seven Corners wellabroad.com can help you gathering information before and during your travels.