Egon Humpeler
B e n ö t i g t d e r a l p i n e b z w. generell d e r G e s u n d h e i t s t o urismus G r u n d l a g e n f o r s c hung?
Is Basic Medical Research Necessary for Alpine Health Tourism ?
SUMMARY Before answering the question of the necessity of research in health tourism, a precise definition of health tourism is inevitable. Health tourism is a form of tourism that promises the guests an impact on their health when using specific tourism offers along with its climatic or geographic characteristics (such as mountain, sea, spas etc.). However, in medical tourism the tourist is brought into another country to obtain medical – therapeutical care. The criteria of quality for health care in medical tourism is provided by Evidence Based Medicine (EBM), tourism orients itself on the tourism guidelines, and the F.A.C.D. guidelines provide a basis for health tourism. F stands for fact by research (health effects have to be proved by medical research), A for actualisation and update of research as well as in education and training programs, C for cooperation with competent partners (coaches, hotels etc.), and D for documentation and data bank in order to offer transparency for the guests. One vacation product that follows those F.A.C.D. guidelines above is the Welltain® (www.welltain.at) vacation. It is for those guidelines and criterias of quality in health tourism only that a serious health vacation program can be offered rather than just being used as a marketing gag. Therefore, a definite YES can be the only answer to the necessity of current medical studies in the field of health tourism. Keywords: health tourism, medical tourism, evidence based medicine EBM, F.A.C.D. criteria, Welltain® Leisure 47
