ABSTRACT
This chapter speaks to the value of conducting secondary analyses in qualitative research in general, and qualitative health geography specifically. In it we present the findings of a study exploring the decision-making processes of Canadian medical tourists. However, although that is what the study probed, the analysis presented here provides a first glimpse into the experiences of the friends and family members who accompany them abroad (i.e., their caregiver-companions). In other words, while we set out to understand Canadian medical tourists’ decision-making processes, we ended up unexpectedly learning about this informal caregiver group. In fact, we were struck by the potential for this secondary analysis during data collection when, in the very first interview we conducted, a former medical tourist talked about how his wife had accompanied him abroad and while in India she became ill and required emergency medical attention. Hearing this experience made us wonder what roles and responsibilities this group was taking on, if they may be experiencing caregiver burden given the unique and demanding transnational care context, and if the data we were gathering from medical tourists could offer any meaningful insights. What we present in this chapter shows that we learned much about this important yet mostly invisible stakeholder group. If we were not open to pursuing new avenues of investigation in the current data set via secondary analysis, then we may never have become attuned to the vital roles and responsibilities taken on by the friends and family members who accompany medical tourists abroad.
