Addressing health communication in the era of alternative truths: the view from medical assistance

The Ready-To-Go Questionnaire predicts health outcomes during travel: a smartphone application-based analysis

BACKGROUND

The Ready-To-Go (R2G) Questionnaire is a tool for rapid assessment of health risks for travel consultation. This study aims to assess the utility of the R2G Questionnaire in identifying high-risk travellers and predicting health events and behaviour during travel in the TOURIST2 prospective cohort.

METHODS

TOURIST2 data were used to calculate the R2G medical and travel risk scores and categorize each participant based on their risk. The TOURIST2 study enrolled 1000 participants from Switzerland's largest travel clinics between 2017 and 2019. Participants completed daily smartphone application surveys before, during and after travel on health events and behaviours. We used regression models to analyse incidence of overall health events and of similar health events grouped into health domains (e.g. respiratory, gastrointestinal, accident/injury). Incidence rate ratios (IRR) are displayed with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

RESULTS

R2G high-risk travellers experienced significantly greater incidence of health events compared to lower-risk travellers (IRR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.22-1.33). Both the medical and travel scores showed significant positive associations with incidence of health events during travel (IRR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.07-1.16; IRR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.03-1.12, respectively), with significant increases in all health domains except skin disorders. Medical and travel risk scores were associated with different patterns in behaviour. Travellers with chronic health conditions accessed medical care during travel more often (IRR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.03-1.31), had greater difficulty in carrying out planned activities (IRR = -0.04, 95% CI: -0.05, -0.02), and rated their travel experience lower (IRR = -0.04, 95% CI: -0.06, -0.02). Travellers with increased travel-related risks due to planned travel itinerary had more frequent animal contact (IRR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.18) and accidents/injuries (IRR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.15-1.44).

CONCLUSIONS

The R2G Questionnaire is a promising risk assessment tool that offers a timesaving and reliable means to identify high-risk travellers. Incorporated into travel medicine websites, it could serve as a pre-consultation triage to help travellers self-identify their risk level, direct them to the appropriate medical provider(s), and help practitioners in giving more tailored advice.