Economic assessment of US physician participation in short-term medical missions.

Paul H Caldron,Milena Pavlova,Ann Impens,Wim Groot

doi:10.1186/s12992-016-0183-7

Paul H Caldron, Milena Pavlova + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-016-0183-7

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Abstract

BackgroundShort term medical missions (STMMs) are a form of unregulated and unsanctioned, grass roots, direct medical service aid from wealthier countries to low and middle income countries. The US leads the world in STMM activity. The magnitude of monetary and man power inputs towards STMMs is not clear. The objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence of physician participation in STMMs from the US and the related expenditures of cash and resources.MethodsAn online survey solicited information on physician participation in STMMs. Responses regarding costs were aggregated to estimate individual and global expenditures.ResultsSample statistics from 601 respondent physicians indicate an increasing participation by US physicians in STMMs. Including opportunity cost, average total economic inputs for an individual physician pursuing an STMM exceed $11,000. Composite expenditures for STMM deployment from the US are estimated at near $3.7 billion annually and the resource investment equates with nearly 5800 physician fulltime equivalents.ConclusionsSTMM participation and mission numbers have been increasing in the millennium. The aggregate costs are material when benchmarked against formal US aid transfers. Understanding the drivers of physician volunteerism in this activity is thereby worthy of study and relevant to future policy deliberation.

Highlights

Short-term medical mission (STMM) refers to an activity wherein physicians and other medical workers from higher income countries travel to provide direct care to persons in lower and middle income countries (LMICs)1 without compensation for a period of days to a few weeks
While the expenditures are generally tax exempt in the US, there are no identifiers within the US federal tax code that mark these outlays in a manner that would allow them to be tabulated nor to project a demographic profile of persons who claim exemptions related to STMM activity
The rates of STMM participation found in the Physicians’ Giving Back Survey (PGBS) data support prior speculation in the literature that incidence and prevalence of physician participation and mission numbers have increased

Summary

Introduction

Short-term medical mission (STMM) refers to an activity wherein physicians and other medical workers from higher income countries travel to provide direct care to persons in lower and middle income countries (LMICs) without compensation for a period of days to a few weeks. Such “missions” are planned, and represent an unsanctioned, grass-roots, and highly direct expression of transnational aid. A 2012 survey Medscape of WebMD revealed that approximately 10 % of physicians participate in some form of “international mission work” STMMs were not distinguished from other formats such as long term medical work, evangelism, habitat construction or other activities [6]. In a similar Medscape survey question in 2014, the overall rate of unspecified international volunteer activities were nearer 7.5 % [7]

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