Medical tourism presents opportunities and risks for patients.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0001-2092(12)00723-5 © AORN, Inc, 2012 M edical tourism (ie, traveling to another country for nonurgent medical care) is not a new custom. In the 18th and 19th centuries, people traveled to spas to “take the waters” as a means of improving their health and, in remote colonies and less developed countries, people have always traveled to reach clinics or physicians.1,2 Today, people travel to many foreign countries to obtain medical care and surgery that is either unavailable or too expensive to obtain in their home countries, or where receiving care in the home country requires long waiting times.1,3, 4