Medical Tourism: A Reference Handbook

(Hardback)

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Description

From exotic spa treatments to euthanasia, this book examines the background and social context of medical tourismthe practice of traveling for health care. This work also documents how this industry is reshaping the face of medicine worldwide for individuals, local communities, and national health care systems. Medical Tourism: A Reference Handbook provides an accessible overview of the state of medical tourism, written from a balanced, unbiased perspective. The authors provide relevant social context for this controversial topic, discussing the state of extremely limited research data on medical tourism; the ethical issues involved, such as traveling to have a black-market organ transplanted; and the significant impact of medical tourism on health care systemsthat of the United States, and those of the destination countries. The book highlights many contemporary problems, controversies, and implications of medical tourism both for individuals and health care systems, and presents thought-provoking potential solutions. The topic of medical tourism is also addressed against the backdrop of current healthcare reforms in the United States. Readers can reference a wealth of additional material on medical tourism, ranging from original documents to extensive directories of selected organizations and resources.

Reviews

The title's health care provider profiles and resource listings are extraordinarily worthwhile. * Library Journal *
Authoritative and objective and explores a social and economic trend worldwide. . . . Stolley and Watson have produced a reference work that will be used by patrons to begin and then facilitate their own searches for medical information. Recommended for most medium-sized to large public libraries. * Booklist *

Author Bio

Kathy Stolley, PhD, is Batten Associate Professor of Sociology at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk. She was editor-in-chief of the applied sociology journal Social Insight: Knowledge at Work. Her published works include Greenwood's The Basics of Sociology and HIV/AIDS. Stephanie Watson is an experienced freelance writer and editor specializing in health and science. Her published works include The Genetics of Obesity; The Mechanisms of Genetics: An Anthology of Current Thought; and Spina Bifida.