Good Samaritans or Reticent Bystanders?

Abstract

Travel medicine can be seen to encompass two aspects. The first, the medical care of travelers, is the most obvious and addressed in the travel medicine literature most often. However, the second, medical care given by doctors while traveling, represents an often exciting, but challenging, experience, with altruistic, ethical, and medicolegal implications. This study examines the experiences and dilemmas of traveling doctors confronted with situations that require professional action. A questionnaire was sent to 702 members of the International Society of Travel Medicine, of which 445 members were in North America and 257 were in other continents. Respondents were asked specific questions concerning the types of assistance they would be willing to provide, whether they carried additional medical supplies, their reluctance to become involved in certain situations, and examples of experiences that they had while traveling. Of the questionnaires sent, 261 (37%) were returned. Of those responding, 72% indicated that they had rendered samaritan assistance in the past, and the vast majority would be willing to provide medical assistance if no other resources were available. Generally, two themes shaped the distribution of answers provided: the distance from, or accessibility to, existing health care facilities and familiarity with the type of patients and health care practices. Doctors with a particular interest in travel medicine are, generally, Good Samaritans and will provide care for urgent and emergent medical problems both to fellow travelers as well as to indigenous people. Except for a small minority who refuse to become involved, doctors' decisions to offer assistance are shaped by the specific circumstances of situations with which they may be faced.