The Role of Telehealth in Medical Tourism: A Scoping Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22034/TJT.3.1.76Keywords:
Medical Tourism, Telemedicine, Remote Consultation, Health Services Accessibility, Scoping ReviewAbstract
Telehealth has rapidly expanded within medical tourism, yet the nature and range of its applications remain unclear. This scoping review, guided by the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR, examined the role of telehealth in medical tourism. Searches of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and LILACS were conducted in April 2025, with no date or language restrictions applied; studies examining any telehealth technology for international medical travel were included, while book chapters, letters, and reports were excluded. Of 253 identified studies, eight met the inclusion criteria. Findings revealed a diverse range of technologies—from early videoconferencing to artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and smart health systems—used across multiple countries. Reported benefits included reduced travel and costs, improved patient trust and decision making, enhanced continuity of care, and mitigation of language and cultural barriers. However, evidence remains largely descriptive and heterogeneous. The review maps an emerging evidence base and highlights the need for rigorous comparative studies to evaluate the specific effectiveness of different telehealth modalities on medical tourism outcomes.
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