When you’re traveling within the U.S., it’s probably only an inconvenience if you forget to pack your over-the-counter pain reliever, allergy medicine or heartburn relief. Even if you forget a prescription medicine, it can usually be replaced with a quick call to your physician or pharmacy.
Travel outside the United States, though, and things can get more complicated. In some countries, you need a prescription to buy medicines that are available here in over-the-counter formulations. Also, medicines may be called by different names; for example, outside the U.S. acetaminophen is often called paracetamol. if you are traveling to a non-English speaking country, you may be unable to decipher dosing instructions or communicate your needs to the pharmacist.
That’s why it is wise to take the time and make the effort to pack a well-stocked medical kit that includes common over-the-counter medicines and as well as the prescription medicines you’ll need while away from home.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, travelers should include the following over-the-counter medicines in their medical kits:
- Pain reliever or fever reducer (such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen)
- Antihistamine
- Decongestant
- Cough drops
- Antacid
- 1% hydrocortisone cream
- Anti-fungal cream or ointment
- Anti-bacterial cream or ointment
- Antidiarrheal medication (for example, bismuth subsalicylate, loperamide)
- Cough suppressant, or cough suppressant with expectorant
- Mild laxative
- Anti-motion sickness medication
In addition, you may want to ask your doctor to prescribe an antibiotic for severe diarrhea, and fill the prescription before you travel. Depending on the region of the world where you are traveling, your doctor also may prescribe anti-malarial medicine, or recommend that you be immunized against diseases such as typhoid or hepatitis.
Your also should stock your medical kit with band-aids in several sizes for cuts and blisters; gauze pads; a rolled compression bandage and clips; digital thermometer; oral rehydration solution packets (or a powdered solution like Gatorade); and a pair of tweezers.
Of course, even the best prepared traveler can be caught off guard by an accident or health crisis, such as a heart attack or stroke. A patient may need to cut short his or her vacation or business trip to return home to receive necessary medical care.
When Medical Transport is Necessary
SentinelMED specializes in orchestrating the safest, most efficient, and most economical medical care available to travelers and stranded patients. Our signature service is cost-effective medical transport on commercial airlines as an alternative to an air ambulance. SentinelMed is owned and operated by U.S. board-certified physicians who have decades of experience in U.S. military aerospace and civilian travel medicine.
SentinelMED specializes in door-to-door commercial air medical transports. SentinelMED’s team of qualified logistics and medical professionals are able to determine the appropriate form of affordable medical transportation services and can help manage the process from end-to-end. We can arrange for a nurse or doctor to travel with a patient as a medical escort to provide needed care and to make the experience as comfortable as possible. Medical escorts also help ensure that the receiving health care facility or caregiver is informed of the patient’s condition and able to provide necessary care.
Our team understands the complexity of delivering exceptional care to the sick, elderly or injured patient who is away from home and in an unfamiliar environment. Please contact us if you’d like to learn more about our services and staff.
