Does Your Crew Have Access to On-Demand Medical Services While at Sea?

Innovative companies are turning to telemedicine kits to create walk-in clinics on their vessels while at sea, eliminating the need to disembark and visit a foreign doctor. Sending your crew members to visit a foreign doctor can result in: 

Any of these scenarios may cause adverse health effects or the need for rapid treatment at a reputable hospital that’s far away from your current location. These kinds of diversions are costly for your business, with some medevacs totaling more than $100,000. Whether it’s sailing to the nearest port or scheduling a medevac, these decisions will affect your business's bottom line. 

It’s estimated that one in five ships are forced to divert each year due to medical issues, costing the industry more than $168 million.

While telemedicine kits may have a high upfront cost, a 2013 study that sampled 23,299 commercial ships and 420,000 crew members revealed that they typically pay for themselves within a year. The study argued that “by avoiding unnecessary diversions and their associated costs, shipping companies can see their return on investment in under a year.”

Companies looking to reduce their long-term expenses may find it practical to adopt telemedicine to provide diagnostic and treatment services on an as-needed basis. This will ensure that the medical needs of your crew are attended to, reducing diversion costs.

As Riviera’s Martyn Wingrove said, “ship operators should not wait to be forced into deploying telemedicine across their fleets.”

“They should recognise the cost-saving, crew morale and operational benefits of having video links to medical professionals,” he added.

One of the major advantages of the mHealth movement is the ability for a patient to receive quality healthcare from anywhere in the world. This is beneficial to commercial vessels that are away at sea for months at a time. 

A telemedicine kit pairs a trained United States-based doctor with your crew, allowing them to perform routine checkups and other non-emergency medical procedures. This is an ideal tool for reducing crew downtime, eliminates the need and risks associated with visiting foreign doctors, and ensures that your staff is ready and available when you need them most.

Whether your crew members are experiencing something personal or need a routine checkup, telemedicine technology simplifies access to these services. As technology continues to advance, telemedicine will play a pivotal role in making healthcare more approachable for remote commercial vessels.