A Norwegian Study of Seafarers' and Rescuers' Recommendations for Maritime Telemedicine Services

Abstract

We studied maritime telemedicine and its potential for improvement. Twenty-four people representing 13 different shipping companies and maritime public authorities were interviewed. They covered all areas of the Norwegian maritime sector except for offshore installations. The morbidity pattern reported differed between the groups: on cruise liners and ferries the major problems were due to coronary heart disease, while on merchant ships, navy vessels and in the fishing fleet the major problems were accidents. Voice and fax systems were available in all cases. However, the Emergency Medical Dispatch Centres did not offer an email service and did not use faxes in the maritime setting. Radio Medico Norway was the only assistance provider offering two-way transfer of digital pictures. The interviewees suggested a number of areas for improvement; these included having a single emergency telephone number to call for help, email systems with the possibility of digital picture attachments, wireless communication systems on board and a standard CD-ROM reference work for medical guidance/education.

Telemedical Maritime Assistance Service (TMAS) to Swedish merchant and passengers ships 1997–2012

“…In a Norwegian study of the maritime telemedicine and its potential for improvement [6] 24 people representing 13 different shipping companies and maritime public authorities were interviewed. The morbidity pattern reported differed between the groups very similar to our study: on cruise liners and ferries the major problems were due to coronary heart disease, while on merchant ships, navy vessels and in the fishing fleet the major problems were accidents.…”

Past, present, and future perspectives of telemedical assistance at sea: a systematic review

“…Offshore operating locations are challenging for delivering emergency medical care to personnel due to inadequate coverage of communication networks, bad weather conditions, absence of health professionals, or trained paramedics on board. However, regardless of these limitations, for the last 50 years, telemedicine by use of various means of communication such as telephone [22, 23, 26, 28, 30, 32-34, 37, 39-43, 46, 47], radio [22,23,26,27,34,36,39,40,44,45,47,48], videoconference [24,25,29,47], email [26, 28, 30-35, 37-42, 46-48], and telefax [22,23,28,34] has been offered different emergency medical services at sea successfully. As a result, telemedicine in the maritime industry has made it possible to reduce number of unnecessary evacuations (nearly by 20% per year), reduce treatment delay, improve the perception of safety, and increase patient satisfaction [29,32,49,50].…”

Medical training of seafarers: International Maritime Health Foundation (IMHF) Expert Panel Consensus Statement

“…Synergy within the rescue chain including rescue services, other medical assistance services and ashore medical facilities, is needed. Between all agencies, there must be a mutual understanding and this must be reflected not only in training, but also in equipment (Ship's medicine chest) and procedures established (Medical Guide for Ships) [20][21][22][23][24][25]. All aspects of medical support form links in a chain of survival, and deficiency in any link may have a profoundly negative effect on the present care and future health of a seafarer [26].…”