Medical Service Ethics in Relation to Sexually Transmitted Diseases among Patients Affected by Tourism Activities
Medical Service Ethics in Relation to Sexually Transmitted Diseases among Patients Affected by Tourism Activities

Summary/Abstract: Sexually transmitted infections represent a key problem from global health and ethics perspectives. International tourism enables the spread of STIs because people might feel a sense of adventure away from home, experience a period of solitude, and a desire to explore forbidden fantasies. There are tourism destinations such as the famous Red-Light Districts (Amsterdam, Phuket, Rio de Janeiro, Phnom Penh, Mombasa) where the sex industry is seen as an economic sustenance. Travellers with liberal attitudes towards sexuality are seeking sexual encounters. In clinical practice, dermatologists regularly face ethical dilemmas with patients who do not want to inform their partners about their sexual diseases. First, ethics arise from patient confidentiality, and second, as a result of public health problems caused by transmitting sexual diseases. The pre-travel sexual counselling is a rare thing. Away from home and after returning from incentive vacations, patients affected by tourism activities choose not to treat their disease, because of high costs of medication and investigations, or due to relationship problems that can occur, therefore, by hiding, their partners may not receive early medical diagnostic or treatment. The present article presents real-life case studies with different scenarios regarding the ethical behaviour of dermatologists’ doctors faced with patients affected by tourism activities with sexually transmitted infections. The article highlights how important it is for doctors to talk to patients about sexually transmitted diseases, advising them before they start their vacation and after they return from vacation. The results are useful so that their partners do not suffer due to the lack of timely treatment. Moreover, since there are no well-established medical codes on how to deal with problems caused by sexually transmitted diseases, the only way is for doctors to develop their capacity to support patients to make the right decisions for themselves and their sexual partners.

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