Telemedical Maritime Assistance Service at the University Center of Maritime and Tropical Medicine in Gdynia. The analysis of 6 years of activity

• Authors: Joanna Szafran-Dobrowolska , Marcin Renke , Wojciech Wołyniec

Abstracts

EN

BackgroundIn the 1960s, the International Labour Organization passed a convention under which all countries with national shipping were obliged to create a 24-h telemedicine center for ships. In accordance with the convention, Telemedical Assistance Service centers were to provide permanent access to medical advice given by qualified doctors and to create an international platform for the exchange of information and experience. In Poland, the Telemedical Maritime Assistance Service (TMAS) was established in 2012, and its duties in a 24-h system are carried out by doctors from the University Center of Maritime and Tropical Medicine (UCMTM) in Gdynia. The aim of this work was to determine the reasons for medical officers reporting for help from the TMAS doctor on duty and to create a database of the most common diagnoses and actions undertaken, and in particular evacuation.Material and MethodsIn the presented work, the authors analyzed TMAS telephony and e-mail advice provided by doctors of the UCMTM in Gdynia, in the period from October 2012 to the end of 2018.ResultsIn the 6-year period, UCMTM doctors provided TMAS advice 225 times, recommending evacuation in over 20% of these cases. Infectious diseases were the most common cause of contact in the entire period under analysis – 61 cases were recorded, accounting for as many as 27% of all applications. Injuries were the second most frequent reason for seeking help from TMAS, and 20% of TMAS applications (44 cases) were related to trauma.ConclusionsThe obtained data show that TMAS doctors face various medical problems; therefore, providing proper medical assistance to patients requires a close multidisciplinary cooperation between medical officers, TMAS doctors and emergency services.

Keywords

EN

occupational exposure; telemedicine; emergency responders; naval medicine; ships; maritime rescue system

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: Medycyna Pracy
• Year: 2020
• Volume: 71
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 121-125

Dates

published

2020

Contributors

author

Joanna Szafran-Dobrowolska

• Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland (Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Department of Occupational, Metabolic and Internal Diseases)

author

Marcin Renke

• Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland (Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Department of Occupational, Metabolic and Internal Diseases)

author

Wojciech Wołyniec

• Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland (Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Department of Occupational, Metabolic and Internal Diseases)

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/mp.5893.00897

Biblioteka Nauki

2085499