Abstract
BackgroundAwareness of pre-travel consultations (PTCs) and prevention methods for overseas travel-related diseases, and the understanding of PTCs among Japanese travelers and medical professionals remains low in Japan. A multicenter registry was established to examine PTCs in Japan. This study assessed the PTC implementation rate and examined the indicators of PTCs that can be used as criteria for evaluating quality.MethodsClients who presented for their PTCs at 17 facilities and were registered between February 1, 2018, and May 31, 2020, were included. Medical information was extracted retrospectively via a web-based system. Correlations between vaccination risk categories and advice/intervention proportions by the facility were evaluated using Spearman’s ordered phase relations (α = 0.05).ResultsOf the 9700 eligible clients (median age, 32 years; 880 [9.1%] aged < 16 years and 549 [5.7%] aged ≥65 years), the most common travel duration was ≥181 days (35.8%); higher among younger clients. The most common reason for travel was business (40.5%); the US (1118 [11.5%]) and Asia (4008 [41.3%]) were the most common destinations and continents, respectively. The vaccine number (median three per person) increased after the PTCs except for the tetanus toxoid. Only 60.8% of the clients recommended for malaria prophylaxis received anti-malarial agents. The gross national income; the incidence of human rabies, typhoid fever, falciparum malaria; and dengue risk category were associated with the percentage of hepatitis-A vaccines; explaining rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, typhoid-fever vaccinations, malaria-prophylaxis prescriptions; and mosquito repellants, respectively.ConclusionsAlthough the characteristics of the travelers differed, the quality of the PTCs should be improved to address, for example, the lower rate of acceptance of malaria prophylaxis in Japan.
Highlights
Awareness of pre-travel consultations (PTCs) and prevention methods for overseas travel-related diseases, and the understanding of PTCs among Japanese travelers and medical professionals remains low in Japan
Background the number of travel clinics registered with the Japanese Society of Travel and Health that provide pre-travel consultations (PTC) in Japan increased from 45 to 90 between 2011 and 2016, an airport survey showed that awareness of PTC among Japanese travelers remained low when compared to other countries [1,2,3,4,5]
How PTC is implemented in Japan and the needs of travelers remain unclear
Summary
Awareness of pre-travel consultations (PTCs) and prevention methods for overseas travel-related diseases, and the understanding of PTCs among Japanese travelers and medical professionals remains low in Japan. This study assessed the PTC implementation rate and examined the indicators of PTCs that can be used as criteria for evaluating quality. The number of travel clinics registered with the Japanese Society of Travel and Health that provide pre-travel consultations (PTC) in Japan increased from 45 to 90 between 2011 and 2016, an airport survey showed that awareness of PTC among Japanese travelers remained low when compared to other countries [1,2,3,4,5]. The Japan Pretravel Consultation Registry (J-PRECOR), a multicenter registry of general hospitals in Japan, which manages travel clinics, was established An objective of this registry is to ensure equivalence in the quality of PTC care across Japan by considering the criteria used for the evaluation of PTC quality. This study evaluated the variations in PTC implementation rates according to specified indicators (the risk of foodborne infectious diseases, mosquito-borne diseases, and rabies) among the facilities, based on real-world data collected from multiple institutes, and examined the indicators of PTCs that could be used as criteria for evaluating quality
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