Primary care physicians are frequent sources of health advice for U.S. international travelers. International travel can result in new illness or exacerbate existing conditions. Primary care providers should be familiar with destination-specific disease risks, be knowledgeable about travel and routine vaccines, be prepared to prescribe chemoprophylaxis and self-treatment regimens, and be aware of travel medicine resources. They should also recognize travelers who would benefit from referral to a specialized travel clinic for evaluation. Those requiring yellow fever vaccination, immunocompromised hosts, pregnant persons, persons with multiple comorbid conditions, and travelers with complex itineraries may warrant specialty referral.
Use this article to:
- Review where travel medicine services are available to patients who seek care at your institution.
- Go to the CDC website to review travel recommendations for hypothetical patients traveling to several different countries. Could the services they need be provided within the primary care setting at your institution, or would they need to be referred elsewhere?
- Review the indications for malaria prophylaxis.
In the Clinic is a feature of Annals of Internal Medicine which includes practical reviews about the management of common clinical conditions.
Back to the October 2023 issue of ACP IMpact