Onboard Medical Kits
For ocean voyages, consider the following – Even with modern technology, ships can only steam so fast, and the maximum range for most helicopters is roughly 300 miles. If you contact a shoreside base and request an evacuation because a crew member has broken his or her femur, for example, an interagency and international search will begin to locate any vessel within your vicinity. If there is one close by, thats wonderful, but if not, the victim will have to be sustained and monitored using only the knowledge and equipment on board, coupled with any advice that can be obtained by VHF radio, SSB, or Satcom.
With off shore medical kits, its critical that before departure for an offshore passage, the skipper conduct a thorough orientation with his crew. Everyone on board needs not only to know where the kit is stowed, but should be capable of hauling it out and demonstrating its contents, including any reference books and manuals, and emergency contact numbers.
Its imperative that each crew bring any personal medications that he or she takes on a continuing basis or medications taken in special circumstances. No crewmember should trust that the onboard medical kit will have their specific prescriptions. Personal medications will include things like injectable adrenalin for allergic episodes, asthma inhalers, cardiac medications like nitrogen tablets, antidepressants taken regularly, birth-control pills, insulin, and antibiotics.
In addition, crewmembers should take along signed prescription orders for medication refills in excess of the projected quantities, just in case. As always, a skipper should ask each crew about his or her personal medications and enter the dosage schedules in the log, along with what clinical signs to expect if the person misses any doses.
For more information on how to select onboard medical kits, purchase and download Survival at Sea, Volume 3: Onboard First Aid today!
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