First Aid and Medical Care

Back pain is widespread in the adult population and the NHS estimates that 80% of adults will suffer from back pain at some time in their life, though it’s rarely a sign of a serious underlying issue. Back pain is the 3rd most common visit to a doctor after skin and joint problems and is the cause of over 12 million working days being lost due to sickness every year. 

Learning how to handover a casualty is an integral part of all Red Square Medical training courses. Scenario based training means that you get the opportunity to assess a situation, think about the injuries or illness a person may be suffering, take a history and monitor vital signs, managing them to the best of your ability, before handing over. 

The regulations pertaining to the carriage of Controlled Drugs on board are not always understood by vessels. Usually because they are not familiar with how it is done and are just trying to interpret the regulations the best they can.

Thinking about the things I’ve learned over the years and the wide variety of people that I have been taught by, worked with, led and been led by reminded me of the great nuggets of advice that I’ve picked up over the years.

A normal human core temperature is around 37 degrees centigrade. But if it drops below 35 degrees, it becomes a medical emergency. 

I had the privilege of being asked to teach STCW Medical First Aid to a room full of delegates from within the Superyacht sector at UKSA recently. They were an excellent bunch of delegates and we really enjoyed the week together.

You are called to a person who is combative and slurring their words, you get a waft of alcohol on their breath. What next?

We LOVE feedback at Red Square Medical! It helps us to grow and develop.

Telemedicine is a term that’s becoming more and more common in the maritime world. Quite simply, it is the provision of remote clinical services, via real-time two-way communication between the patient (or often their onboard medic) and a shore-based healthcare professional, using electronic audio and visual means.

I bloody love a good drill. And this was no exception, in fact it was totally awesome! Let me set the scene...There are courses running in security, fire and medical. The scenario was that of an improvised explosive device that had been planted on board a ship.

 In March 2019, the US Coastguard issued a list of the 11 most common causes of boating accidents and stated that most critical incidents stem from these 11 events: 

 Injuries in recreational sailing are mainly acute, with cuts and bruises typically resulting from falls, collisions with the boom or impact with the boat or other equipment.

Finding the right level of medical training in the marine industry can be tricky, especially for leisure sailors and power boaters. There simply isn’t a lot of choice and you could find yourself on a course that’s too basic, or at the other end of the scale biting off more than you can chew! It can also be difficult to find instructors who really understand what it’s like to be a long way from shore and having to manage a casualty (and a boat!) for quite some time before help

I’ve been working on Superyachts for over 10 years and have NEVER received training so good. The instructor was funny, knowledgeable, experienced and really friendly and approachable. Amazing!!

In the medical world, COVID-19 has created incredible new developments alongside colossal disruption. It caused a rethink of everyday processes and procedures and it’s not uncommon now to see ambulance crews looking like extras from ET, in full PPE suits with respirator hoods!

Resuscitation Council UK’s aim is to ‘save lives by developing guidelines, influencing policy, delivering courses and supporting cutting-edge research’.

Our Lead Medical Consultant, Liz Baugh, wrote this blog post about something she was involved in a couple of weeks ago. I happened across...

You can change a day in the life of a seafarer to a “groundhog day” in the life of a seafarer.

Our Lead Medical Consultant, Liz Baugh, was invited to support the development phases of this prototype training manikin. She has been part of the trials both in a training pool rescue environment and out at sea. Watch this video to find out more...