Travel advice: a study among Swiss and German general practitioners

Abstract

SummaryTravelling to tropical and subtropical destinations is common among European citizens. Many of them consult their general practitioners (GPs) for pre-travel advice. Little is known about the knowledge, the sources of information and the needs of physicians. One hundred and fifty Swiss and 150 German GPs giving travel advice were interviewed using pretested telephone interviews and questionnaires to assess their knowledge about travel advice to be given for 2 frequent holiday destinations (Kenya and Thailand), and to ask which information sources were available to them. Ninety-six per cent and 89%, respectively, of GPs in 2 neighbouring areas of Switzerland and Germany gave travel advice to their clients. In telephone interviews, standard recommendations on malaria medication, as approved by the national travel advice committees, were stated by 45 and 25% of Swiss GPs, and 22 and 9% of German GPs for Kenya and Thailand. The figures for correct advice on vaccination requirements were 23 and 47% for the Swiss GPs, and 2 and 25% for the German GPs. Half of the GPs wanted to consult their documents before giving advice. The main source of information used by Swiss GPs was the monthly updated Bulletin of the Federal Office of Public Health (BFOPH). A variety of different sources was recorded among German practitioners. Regular, concise information on travel advice tops the list of requested information material in both countries. The extent of correct pre-travel advice is unsatisfactory in both study groups. Use of standardized, regularly updated and readily available sources of information on travel advice for the GP could avoid uncertainties of both the provider and the recipient of advice.keywords travel medicine, pre-travel advice, general practitioner

Risks to Young Volunteers in International Social Projects

“…The quality of the advice given to them may be questioned (Hatz et al, 1997;Ropers et al, 2004). About one-third of young volunteers studied consulted a specialized doctor.…”

Screening and prevention in Swiss primary care: a systematic review

“…The most common observed intervention was counseling on lifestyle changes with twelve studies. 30,[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59] Among them, six addressed counselling about physical activity and two dealt with smoking cessation. Most of the studies addressed specific age groups or patient characteristics, such as influenza vaccination in people older than 65 years, or enhancing physical activity in patients younger than 65 years.…”

“…12 The most frequently cited barriers were "lack of knowledge/skills" (20 out of 39), 16,24,25,[30][31][32][33]35,[40][41][42][43][44]46,47,49,51,52,58,59 "lack of time/ high workload" (11 out of 39) 12,29,30,32,33,43,48,51,53,55,59 and "own disbeliefs" (9 out of 39). 17,19,25,30,[39][40][41]50,57 Lack of knowledge/skills Lack of knowledge or skills was the most common reported barrier and mentioned in studies with completely different clinical targets, eg, in studies addressing cardiovascular risk factors, 24,25,30 cancer prevention, 31,33 addiction prevention 40,41 or in different prevention interventions for infectious diseases.…”

“…51,58,59 Insufficient sources of information were mentioned, eg, in the field of advice-giving for travelling. 52 Five further studies on different areas of prevention also reported a lack of knowledge and skills as a barrier. [42][43][44]46,47 Lack of time/high workload Time constraints were found in several studies, independent of the prevention focus.…”

Moving Travel Medicine

“…quality of advice (Keystone et al 1994, Hatz et al 1997) are beyond imagination. Improvement in the quality of pre-travel advice undoubtedly has the highest priority and more sophisticated methods to increase cost effectiveness of established preventive strategies have to be employed.…”