First Aid and Medical Care

In the maritime world, we frequently drill scenarios such as a fire onboard, or man overboard, because it’s a requirement. But how do you manage your medical drills to keep the whole crew competent?

Classing ourselves as a pretty adventurous team, and working in an industry involving travel and work in some of the most remote locations, we were really interested to see this research paper exploring female specific barriers to participation in expeditions and adventure travel. As the first study of its kind published, it takes a closer look at why females are underrepresented in the expedition environment and their concerns relating to their health in this environment.

Last month, we posted about ‘The UMBLES’. The purpose… to raise awareness that it might be getting into summertime in the UK, but in...

We’ve been inspired to get up close and personal with the rather fancy sounding, but really rather yukky, Necrotising Fasciitis…

This month, we’re taking a look at the latest research into burns, and just how vitally important the management and treatment of burns is in the pre-hospital environment.

In basic first aid classes, there is great emphasis on not moving a patient under any circumstances. But is this always right? Our Paramedic friends tell us about times they have arrived on scene to find an elderly faller virtually held down onto the icy ground they slipped on because they think it’s best. Or a care home resident who is unharmed, wriggling around but just unable to get themselves off the floor.

Vaccinations are a hotly debated topic across the globe, particularly after COVID-19 and the rapid response to the need for a vaccination to help reduce the burden on the health services in different countries.

Chest pain is a common reason for calls for an ambulance or to shoreside, and frequently it’s not actually due to cardiac (heart) issues. But you will often hear Paramedics tell their patients that they have done the right thing; they would genuinely prefer to get to a patient and find the chest pain is a minor issue, than it being cardiac, and too late!

Unconsciousness is a medical emergency as the person is very vulnerable and may not be able to manage their own airway effectively. We also need to think about the cause of unconsciousness. Is it a simple fainting episode due to illness? Is it a massive hemorrhage causing hypovolemic shock? Or is it due to some kind of external factor or injury? 

Fact: Women are dying because bystanders are less likely to carry out CPR on women than men. Research shows that women are 27% less likely to receive CPR than men and if a defibrillator is used, their chance of survival is affected by bra’s being left on.

Women’s health is a huge topic, while it’s true that in the maritime sector women make up just 2% of seafarers at sea, up to 34% of the shore based staff are female. Looking at the bigger picture, women’s health directly affects just under half of our population globally, and indirectly (whether you like it or not!) the other half, we thought it was worth a blog about some of the issues, and the taboo’s, that could be affecting our maritime workforce and the women in our live

According to the UKs National Institute for Clinical Excellence, (NICE: https://www.nice.org.uk/), ships being on the water for months at a time mean that health can be a life-threatening challenge for sailors and seafarers.

Skill fade is a very real issue, and we know that setting up drills and practice scenarios when you’re back in your environment, with your kit and crew, can make a massive difference.

According to the WHO, diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease which is characterised by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar). Over time, this leads to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. 

Reflective practice first developed in medicine, teaching and social work as a way to learn from real life experiences. It’s your way of thinking about everything that has happened in an incident, event or time frame and what went right and wrong. It’s the opportunity to ask yourself whether you would or could do anything differently if faced with the same situation again.

It’s well known that New Year resolutions don’t last. Forbes magazine tells us that 21% don’t make their resolution stick for even a month. While 34% state that it lasted for between one and three months.  

Earlier this year, we asked some of our followers about what they would recommend as their top 10 items to make up a medical kit. We received some great answers from the lovely folks out there, and the post generated some fabulous discussion and experience-based advice. 

Just check out our quick guide below - taking in a whirlwind tour of the most common causes of chest pain that our team have treated.

Fractures are common injuries onboard ships and most can be prevented by adhering to safe working practices and avoiding over consumption of alcohol.

You are on an offshore installation with a man overboard incident, involving a 25m fall and some contact with structure. An Emergency Response Rescue Vessel (standby vessel) in close standby launches a Fast Rescue Craft. The FRC is alongside the casualty and the casualty recovered in 9 minutes with the FRC delivering your casualty onboard in 14 minutes.