Ship's doctor

As ship's doctor, a doctor is called, which ensures the medical and dental care on board ships in the civil and military fields and is responsible for compliance with hygiene and safety regulations. Whether a ship's doctor must be on board, subject to national regulations. The International Labour Organization recommends that vessels of more than 100 people on board and rides on more than three days to carry a doctor on board.

• 2.1 Medical care
• 2.2 Role of Telemedicine

• 3.1 Germany

Requirements

Civilian Maritime

Requirements for employment as a ship's doctor in the civilian sector are, according to his degree in medicine with a physician's approval, a multi-year medical activity in at least one acute care discipline as well as experience in emergency medicine.

In addition, strong language skills in English and the medical fitness in accordance with § 81 sailor Act ( SeemG ) are required.

The certificate Maritime Medicine of the Schleswig -Holstein, may since June 6, 2001 on the basis of the ship's surgeon training course of the German Navy on Maritime Medical Institute of the Navy in Kronshagen and other training content ( expertise rescue service training: 1 year Surgery, 1 year of Internal Medicine, but six months anesthesia, tropical and diving Medicine course, Survival be purchased at sea) is not mandatory. A completed specialist training is also not mandatory. A five to ten years of clinical work in surgery and internal medicine but is now expected to work as a ship's doctor. Experience in travel and tropical medicine as well as basic knowledge in dentistry are also desirable in order to meet the wide spectrum of the resulting diseases justice. Qualification certificates in radiation protection and emergency medical services must be available. Participation in the course Introduction to maritime emergency medicine in accordance with the recommendations of the German Society for Maritime Medicine ( DGMM ) is strongly recommended.

What needs to be fulfilled requirements in detail, determine recommendations of the Working Group of the coastal states for Ship Sanitation in Germany. Responsible for the implementation of the recommendations is the port medical services in the home port of each vessel, which carries out the administrative tasks as part of public health. Basically, these recommendations, however, are only applicable to vessels flying the German flag. The final decision on the setting of the ship's doctor and whose qualifications lies with the respective shipping company.

The ship's doctor refers the shipping company a fixed salary, or a base salary with percentage participation. Alternatively, partially hiring of treatment spaces of the ship and invoice after German charges for physicians possible.

German Navy

The German Navy has 62 Navy physicians, including 20 women. As a ship's doctor on board currently serve 28 (October 2009) a medical officer candidates of the Navy through a shortened to six weeks of basic training ashore and take then with the officer cadets of the military service of their crew on an overseas training trip with the sail training ship Gorch Fock part. It then follows the medical studies at a civilian college, during which the officer training courses are completed. After this training, the young medical officers are permanent (after his approbation ) to three years, treated first use in the clinic at the Bundeswehr hospital in Hamburg, Westerstede, Berlin, Koblenz or Ulm. During the clinical training takes place here, the acquisition of additional designation rescue medicine in anesthesiology. A training time in surgery, internal medicine and radiology is sought. This is followed by a year of specialized training in the maritime and shipping Medical Institute of Marine ( SchiffMedInstM ) in Kronshagen. In this training section of the ship's doctor course (with a share dentistry) completed, diving physician and flight surgeon training course and undergo training periods in tropical medicine, ultrasound, gynecology, survival at sea and telemedicine. After completely going through the training ship doctors meet the conditions for obtaining the certificate Maritime Medicine of the Schleswig -Holstein.

Higher grades are not as ship doctors on board, only embarked as head of a naval operation rescue center or Senior Medical Officers.

Tasks

The duties of a ship's doctor include general medicine, emergency medicine, preventive medicine and occupational health care, such as monitoring the kitchen and accommodation hygiene, conducting vaccinations and measures to prevent epidemics in infections. Likewise, the professional image of tropical medicine aspects. The responsibility for the medical equipment and its care and maintenance within the ambit of a ship's doctor. In the Navy the ship's doctor is also entrusted with the implementation of medical training for the crew members. In the civil sector periodic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation courses, as well as water rescue for the crew are also an object of the ship's doctor.

Medical care

The spectrum of diseases to be treated on board a ship is wide and also depending on crew and passengers. In addition to seasickness occur in various other health problems. The most common cause of medical consultations are respiratory diseases of passengers, skin diseases of the crew, as well as injuries. Here, the passengers hurt rather ashore, crew members on board. Cardiovascular disorders occur when passengers more often than crew members. Also, dental treatments, especially when crew members are often required and drag more often than in other diseases, for treatment by a dentist at the next port by itself.

Role of telemedicine

Due to the variety of possible disease to be treated images a radio consultation of Medico Cuxhaven was built as early as 1931, which is the ship's physicians. In the meantime, ECG readings, image and video material to a consultative physician can be transmitted through different systems. This increases the effectiveness of the ship's doctor, so that the risk of misdiagnosis and the resulting failure treatment is significantly reduced. In addition to the medical benefit to the patient costs can be saved by unnecessary evacuations and repatriations.

Legal framework

The cast of ships with medical staff is regulated by respective national regulations. Valid are the rules of the country under whose flag the ship. The International Labour Organization has recommended in § 8 of the ILO Convention No. 164 of 1987 on health protection and medical care of sailors that is supposed to be on board vessels with more than 100 people on board and rides on more than three days a doctor. However, national rules may differ. So it is explained in the British The Merchant Shipping ( Ships' Doctors ) Regulations 1995 in addition to the duty of a British ship-owner, medical vessels with more than 100 people on board and a distance of more than 1.5 days, the nearest port with adequate, a qualified doctor to have supplies on board. In the Turkish Regulation on Sanitary Safety of Passengers on Ships of 28 January 1943, set against the fact that only when more than 200 passengers a ship's doctor shall be kept.

Germany

The Regulation for the Medical Care of Merchant Ships ( SchKrFürsV ) writes in § 15 for vessels of more than 75 people traveling in the middle and long-distance trade as well as for test drives, the occupation with a ship's doctor before. Ships with more than 100 workers on board are to be filled also with a ship's doctor when traveling in the little voyage of more than 3 days duration. If the number of persons on a vessel 800, a second ship's doctor on board must be.

In the military field corresponding provisions of the Bundeswehr apply. The navy boats usually have no doctor on board, but a Marine Medical Assistant (formerly Medical champion). In these cases, the medical health care is often ensured through a federation the accompanying supply ship, which has a hospital with a squadron doctor. On small military units, such as speed boats or submarines of the class 206A of Smut is trained as a medic, but made ​​in the application, the embarkation of higher qualified rescue personnel. The ship's doctor or the Maritime Medical assistants are ship's doctor assistants (formerly Sanitätsmaate ) and medical Gasten in the performance of his duties to the side.

History

Even in ancient ship doctors were known. For example, it was in the Roman navy provision ( dual Sold Legionnaire ) to lead for 200 man crew a ship's doctor as Duplicarii on board. Its task was mainly to investigate the rowers on their physical fitness and to draw arrows from the wounded soldiers in the battle.

On board of merchant ships ship doctors were not very welcome to the Middle Ages. Occurring accidents at work breaks, bruises and sprains were partially addressed by the master himself. With the great voyages of discovery shipping medicine experienced a boom, where there are no academic physicians, but surgeons and barbers were ultimately that lead doctors as a ship at sea. They were supported in their activities by the ship's cook and semi-skilled assistants. The Royal Navy decreed in 1814 over 14 physicians, 850 surgeons and 500 assistant surgeons, who were responsible for 130,000 men.

The French officier de santé on board of warships was a rank with basic medical training as a result of the reform of the medical system during the early period of the Napoleonic era. In a two-tier medical system, the officiers de santé went through a little shorter and specialized education that would prepare them for the standard cases of everyday medical practice in the country. In contrast, the training covered the regular doctor the whole spectrum of contemporary medicine.

At the time of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa governed the Editto politico di navigazione the entrainment and equipment of pharmaceutical boxes on ships. In 1851 an imperial Regulations on the organization of health care was adopted, which also regulated the medical care on board, in Marinehospitälern and the Centers for Disease Control.

With the establishment of the first all-German Navy in 1848, ship doctors were obtained primarily from the ranks of the military and civilian doctors. Due to the peculiarities at sea but were later specialty physicians at the Friedrich- Wilhelm Institute, later to become the Kaiser Wilhelm Academy is formed. Maritime basic knowledge were mediated by a commanded the naval school medical officer. 1900, the Institute for Ship and Tropical Diseases was opened, which also equip Navy doctors for their use in the tropics with the necessary knowledge about diseases occurring there. They acquired the first time actually knowledge that distinguished them from army doctors and they prepared for the tasks on board. At the end of the Weimar Republic future Navy doctors received a maritime training together with the officer cadets of other careers. 1934, the Military Medical Academy was founded in Berlin, where still all military doctors were trained. This did not change until 1941, when the Navy Medical Academy was opened in Kiel. Here a compressed maritime knowledge about life on board, the requirements of a naval officer and seamanship basics were taught during the course. With the end of World War II, the medical academies were, like all other military schools also dissolved.

The Swiss Medical Journal published in 2009 an article on the Swiss specialist for Seemedizin Urs Schifferli and reported it on the creation of the Swiss Society for Seemedizin which would have constituted on 1 April 2007. However, this article was published on 1 April 2009 and was an April Fool's joke.

Quarters of the ship's doctor on a replica of the Endeavour

Ship doctors and hospital corpsmen, United States Navy ( 1919)

Operationauf USS Kroon Country (1919)