A Prospective Investigation of the Impact of Telemedicine and Telemetry on Global Medical Evacuation Rates.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines whether the availability of telemedicine on offshore installations reduces medical evacuation rates. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study on offshore platforms in the United States, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. Emergency evacuation rates were compared between locations with telemedicine (United States) and 2 control groups without telemedicine (Malaysia, United Kingdom). RESULTS: Three hundred eighty-four cases in the telemedicine group and 261 cases in the control groups were included. The odds (adjusted and unadjusted) of medical evacuation were significantly higher for assets without telemedicine, contractors, and age older than 60 years. Analysis indicated a shift from emergency evacuation to routine transport for the telemedicine group. CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine reduces emergency medical evacuations from offshore installations. This reduction is likely due to an increased capacity for transforming emergency care into routine care at the offshore location.

Effects of an on-board psychosocial programme on stress, resilience, and job satisfaction amongst a sample of merchant seafarers.

BACKGROUND: Seafarers are an occupational group amongst those at highest risk for stress, which may adversely affect their mental health. The primary aim of this study was to assess the effects of a psychosocial programme on perceived stress, resilience, and job satisfaction among a sample of merchant seafarers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Secondary data analysis was conducted using a work questionnaire administered by a large shipping company. The matched subjects technique and multivariate analysis of covariance were conducted using a theoretical model of the programme's effects on job satisfaction, resilience, and perceived stress. RESULTS: A significant interaction between programme participation and weeks on board indicated that the effects of weeks on board on perceived stress differed significantly for the intervention group and matched control group. Weeks on board had a significant effect for perceived stress for the control group (p = 0.02), but not for the intervention group (p = 0.857). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that participation in the programme moderated the effects of weeks on board on perceived stress, suggesting that the programme may have safeguarded participants against the effects of weeks on board on perceived stress. Importantly, however, a work environment that is experienced as supportive, inclusive and just is necessary as a cornerstone for individually-focused psychosocial interventions to be optimally applied.