Tourists as inpatients in Queensland regional hospitals.

Abstract

This study analysed medical record data from seven regional hospitals in Queensland to determine the types of medical conditions and injuries that resulted in overseas and interstate tourists being admitted to hospital. From a total of 135,128 admissions to the participating hospitals, 695 (0.51 per cent) were identified as overseas tourists and 3479 (2.57 per cent) were from interstate. The main reasons for admission of overseas tourists, based on principal diagnoses, were injuries and poisonings (37.6 per cent), circulatory disorders (11.7 per cent), digestive conditions (9.8 per cent), and genito-urinary disorders (8.8 per cent). For interstate tourists, the main reasons for admission were genito-urinary disorders (19.8 per cent), injuries and poisonings (15.4 percent), neoplasms (11.4 per cent) and circulatory disorders (10.6 per cent). These findings are discussed in relation to current literature in the field of travel medicine, emphasising the burden of care placed on the admitting hospital's resources, and the growing number of visitors to Queensland needing health care.