Immediate recall of health issues discussed during a pre-travel consultation

An important role of pre-travel consultations is to improve travelers' understanding of travel-related diseases, but the efficacy of education provided is unknown. This study sought to assess recall and knowledge immediately following a pre-travel consultation.

The study was conducted at a hospital-based pre-travel clinic in Melbourne, Australia. Travelers aged ≥16 years seen between September 2010 and March 2012 were invited to complete an anonymous self-administered questionnaire immediately following their consultation to assess knowledge of appropriate preventive measures and presumptive self-treatment strategies for common travel risks. The doctor of each participating traveler also completed a survey regarding issues discussed.

A total of 300 participants were recruited (34% male, median age 31 years). Most were traveling for vacation (77%) and reported previous travel (95%). Main travel destinations were Asia (43%), Americas (21%), and Africa (17%). Doctors' and travelers' surveys showed variable levels of concordance: 94% of patients recalled discussion of malaria, 84% rabies, and 76% dengue. For malaria, 95% remembered discussions regarding insect repellents, and 92% recalled that medical advice should be sought if fever developed. For travelers with whom rabies was discussed, 94% recalled that medical advice must be urgently sought following a bite/scratch. For travelers' diarrhea (TD), 99% knew to drink only boiled/bottled water, but 13% did not recall avoiding unpeeled fruit/vegetables as a prevention strategy. There was 20% discordance between doctors and travelers regarding antibiotics for TD self-treatment, but only 4% discordance regarding prescription of malaria prophylaxis. Factors associated with improved recall were doctor discussion, previous travel, and a university education.

Key travel health messages are well assimilated after pre-travel consultation. However, large amounts of information are discussed and immediate recollection of all information is not possible. This study reinforces the importance of providing supplementary information (eg, written and/or electronic resources) to accompany pre-travel consultations.