Complications and costs to the NHS due to outward medical tourism for elective surgery: a rapid review
Abstract
Outward medical tourism is when people seek medical treatment in a different country to the one they live in. There are concerns that people travelling abroad for surgery may be at risk of complications when they return home. This review aimed to identify all the studies that describe the impact on the UK NHS of patients who require follow-up care due to outward medical tourism for elective surgery and report on complications, costs and benefits. The review included evidence available until December 2024. 37 studies were included that described patients who were treated in the NHS for complications arising from elective surgery conducted abroad. 35 were case series or case reports, 19 relating to bariatric surgery, 15 to cosmetic surgery and 1 to ophthalmic surgery. 2 were surveys of plastic surgeons practicing in the NHS. 14 studies included a cost analysis. The case series and case reports included a total of 655 patients treated by the NHS between 2006 to 2024 for post-operative complications in specific hospitals. Not all studies reported all outcomes of interest. For the studies that reported demographic data, most patients were female (90%). The most common destination for surgery was Turkey (61%). For bariatric surgery tourism, abdominal pain, vomiting, inability to swallow and malnutrition were cited as presenting symptoms, with gastric leak being the most common diagnosis. Over a third of patients had to have a reversal or revision of the bariatric procedure. For…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case series, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health. Reported size: 655 participants or records.
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