Check out this series on travel health
RON BEHRENS, Consultant in Travel Medicine at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, has teamed up with colleagues to produce an interesting and informative series of articles in the British Journal of Nursing.
As the health threats of modern day travel change along with increases in population, wealth and tourism across the world, pre-travel health advice has become more focused on risk assessment and educating the traveller. This includes giving advice about infectious disease and the more frequent non-infectious hazards associated with travel, while ensuring they are not unnecessarily exposed to injury from vaccines and drugs.
Preparing the tropical traveller
Bernadette Carroll, Amanda Daniel and Ron H Behrens (2008) BJN 17 (16), pp1046–1051
First in the series examines the role of the health adviser and the needs of the traveller. The authors describe the importance of risk assessment during a consultation and explore factors that influence recommendations and prescribing. As most travel-associated morbidity and mortality is non-vaccine preventable, the focus of the pre-travel consultation should be on educating the traveller and influencing behaviour change.
Advising travellers visiting friends and relatives abroad
Claire S Wong and Ron H Behrens (2008) BJN 17 (17 ), pp.101–1103
This deals with the highest risk group of travellers – residents who visit friends and relatives abroad. It highlights their specific problems and special needs, and how to influence their risk of disease by addressing their health beliefs and the cultural dimension of risk.
Illness in the returning traveller
Bernadette Carroll, Diana Phillips, Ron H Behrens (2008) BJN 17 (11), pp.706-709
The series concludes by exploring the common, and not so common, clinical problems found in returned travellers. Nurses have to deal with a large range of clinical problem and diagnostic dilemmas when attending to the returned traveller. This review provides a perspective on the frequency and severity of problems, and how nurses should manage travel associated disease.
Bernadette Carroll is a research nurse, and Diana Phillips and Amanda Daniel are clinical nurse specialists at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Claire S Wong is Specialist Nurse (Travel Health) at the National Travel Health Network and Centre, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.