A new website from Canadian academics specializing in medical tourism research warns potential Canadian medical tourists to carefully consider the risks and rewards of medical tourism. SFU’s Medical Tourism Research Group has launched a free consumer website Medicaltourismandme.com, just for Canadians. It uses the power of personal testimony to educate consumers about the perils and pluses of medical tourism. The website presents former medical tourists’ stories under three headings — your health, your home and your destination. The headings represent three perspectives from which SFU’s researchers want consumers to evaluate the practical and ethical concerns associated with medical tourism. The stories profile consumers weighing medical pros and cons; home countries saddled with returning medical tourists who may now have more medical problems than they left with; and medical-tourism-providing countries’ residents whose health care needs can be subjugated by the needs of wealthier medical tourists. Prompted by concerns from customers, doctors and academics about issues such as malpractice in destination countries and inadequate consumer guidelines, Jeremy Snyder and his colleagues created an information sheet. It is the basis of their website. They plan to have their website translated into French and Spanish. Jeremy Snyder at Simon Fraser University explains, “We have drawn on real stories from medical tourists to whom we have spoken, in the hopes that these real experiences will be eye-opening for people thinking about engaging in medical tourism. Historically, government and industry sources have provided limited consumer guidelines largely geared to addressing patient health and safety issues. They do not capture third party issues such as the extent to which medical tourism is preventing destination countries’ residents from accessing quality healthcare at home. Israel, for example, has recently restricted the use of public facilities for medical tourism for this reason. Several studies, including ours, have shown relying on industry sources for guidelines is problematic because communication of health risks is often biased.” The SFU advice to consumers includes: 1. Should I go abroad for medical care?2. Is this procedure offered locally? If not, why?3. Am I able to access independent information about the effectiveness and safety of the procedure?4. Is traveling abroad for medical care likely to have negative impacts on others? If so, is my going abroad for care still justified?5. If I have caregivers at home, with they be able to go abroad with me and help care for me when I return? What will that caregiver’s experience abroad be like realistically?6. Have I discussed this decision with my family doctor or other medical expert? 7. Am I fully aware of the risks of receiving this procedure abroad and potential for long term follow up care?