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

Background 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. Methods 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. Results 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. Conclusions 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.