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Article
Open AccessQualitatively exploring the intersection of health and housing needs in Canadian crowdfunding campaigns
Online crowdfunding platforms such as GoFundMe fundraise millions of dollars annually for campaigners. Medical crowdfunding is a very popular campaign type, with campaigners often requesting funds to cover bas...
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Article
Open AccessSelling cannabidiol products in Canada: A framing analysis of advertising claims by online retailers
In Canada, the legalization of cannabis has enabled cannabidiol (CBD) to become a popular commercial product, increasingly used for medical or therapeutic purposes. There are currently over one thousand CBD pr...
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Article
Open AccessWhat are the informational pathways that shape people’s use of cannabidiol for medical purposes?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is commonly used to manage symptoms in conditions and diseases for which there is limited clinical research for its application. How consumers arrive and decide to use CBD for medical treatme...
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Article
Open AccessGovernment roles in regulating medical tourism: evidence from Guatemala
Regulation of the medical tourism and public health sectors overlap in many instances, raising questions of how patient safety, economic growth, and health equity can be protected. The case of Guatemala is use...
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Article
Open Access“I didn’t have to prove to anybody that I was a good candidate”: a case study framing international bariatric tourism by Canadians as circumvention tourism
Medical tourism is a practice where patients travel internationally to purchase medical services. Medical tourists travel abroad for reasons including costly care, long wait times for care, and limited availab...
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Article
Open AccessA critical examination of empowerment discourse in medical tourism: the case of the dental tourism industry in Los Algodones, Mexico
Medical tourism is a term used to describe the phenomenon of individuals intentionally traveling across national borders to privately purchase medical care. The medical tourism industry has been portrayed in t...
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Article
Open Access“Ensure that you are well aware of the risks you are taking…”: actions and activities medical tourists’ informal caregivers can undertake to protect their health and safety
When seeking care at international hospitals and clinics, medical tourists are often accompanied by family members, friends, or other caregivers. Such caregiver-companions assume a variety of roles and respons...
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Article
Open AccessWhat does the development of medical tourism in Barbados hold for health equity? an exploratory qualitative case study
Although the global growth of privatized health care services in the form of medical tourism appears to generate economic benefits, there is debate about medical tourism’s impacts on health equity in countries...
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Article
Open Access“That’s enough patients for everyone!”: Local stakeholders’ views on attracting patients into Barbados and Guatemala’s emerging medical tourism sectors
Medical tourism has attracted considerable interest within the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. Governments in the region tout the economic potential of treating foreign patients while several new pr...
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Article
Open AccessOutbound medical tourism from Mongolia: a qualitative examination of proposed domestic health system and policy responses to this trend
Medical tourism is the practice of traveling across international boundaries in order to access medical care. Residents of low-to-middle income countries with strained or inadequate health systems have long tr...
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Article
Open Access“Best care on home ground” versus “elitist healthcare”: concerns and competing expectations for medical tourism development in Barbados
Many countries have demonstrated interest in expanding their medical tourism sectors because of its potential economic and health system benefits. However, medical tourism poses challenges to the equitable dis...
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Article
Open Access“I knew what was going to happen if I did nothing and so I was going to do something”: Faith, hope, and trust in the decisions of Canadians with multiple sclerosis to seek unproven interventions abroad
Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) treatment is an unproven intervention aimed at relieving some of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite limited evidence of the efficacy and safety ...
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Article
Open AccessKnowledge brokers, companions, and navigators: a qualitative examination of informal caregivers’ roles in medical tourism
Many studies examining the phenomena of medical tourism have identified health equity issues associated with this global health services practice. However, there is a notable lack of attention in this existing...
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Article
Open Access“You’re dealing with an emotionally charged individual…”: an industry perspective on the challenges posed by medical tourists’ informal caregiver-companions
Patients engage in medical tourism when they privately obtain a medical care abroad. Previous research shows that many medical tourists travel abroad with friends and family members who provide support and ass...
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Open AccessUnderstanding the impacts of medical tourism on health human resources in Barbados: a prospective, qualitative study of stakeholder perceptions
Medical tourism is a global health practice where patients travel internationally with the intention of receiving medical services. A range of low, middle, and high income countries are encouraging investment ...
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Article
Open AccessUse of medical tourism for hip and knee surgery in osteoarthritis: a qualitative examination of distinctive attitudinal characteristics among Canadian patients
Medical tourism is the term that describes patients’ international travel with the intention of seeking medical treatment. Some medical tourists go abroad for orthopaedic surgeries, including hip and knee resu...
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Article
Open Access“I didn’t even know what I was looking for”: A qualitative study of the decision-making processes of Canadian medical tourists
Medical tourism describes the private purchase and arrangement of medical care by patients across international borders. Increasing numbers of medical facilities in countries around the world are marketing the...
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Article
Open AccessAn industry perspective on Canadian patients' involvement in Medical Tourism: implications for public health
The medical tourism industry, which assists patients with accessing non-emergency medical care abroad, has grown rapidly in recent years. A lack of reliable data about medical tourism makes it difficult to cre...
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Article
Open AccessFly-By medical care: Conceptualizing the global and local social responsibilities of medical tourists and physician voluntourists
Medical tourism is a global health practice where patients travel abroad to receive health care. Voluntourism is a practice where physicians travel abroad to deliver health care. Both of these practices often ...
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Article
Open AccessWhat is known about the effects of medical tourism in destination and departure countries? A sco** review
Medical tourism involves patients intentionally leaving their home country to access non-emergency health care services abroad. Growth in the popularity of this practice has resulted in a significant amount of...