International Maritime Health最新文献

Background: Seafaring is an arduous and highly specialized profession, with many potential risks of accidents and injuries to the working seafarers. This study aims to describe the characteristics of occupational injuries and some related factors of Vietnamese seafarers on board merchant vessels.

Material and methods: Injured seafarers working on ships of 3 shipping companies in Hai Phong, Vietnam for 2 years, from January 2021 to December 2022, were considered in the study. The retrospective descriptive method was used to collect data on occupational injuries.

Results: Forty-six injured seafarers out of a total of 1250 seafarers were included. The incidence of occupational injuries among seafarers was 46 per 1250 (3.7%). The overall injury incidence was 18.4 per 1000 seafarers per year over the 2-year study period. The most common time for injury accidents was at night (54.3%) and the place where injuries occurred was mainly on the deck of the ship (71.7%). Causes of occupational injuries included slipping (32.6%), closing cargo hatch covers (13.0%), unloading cargo (13.0%), and repairing ship engines (10.9%). The nature of injuries was mainly soft tissue injuries (52.2%); sprains, dislocations (15.3%); fractures (10.9%); burns (6.5%). Injuries to the shoulder, forearm, and hand (52.2%); thighs, legs, feet (32.6%); head (6.5%). Some factors related to injury include working experience less than 10 years, OR = 2.45 (95%CI: 1.36-4.42); intermediate education level, OR = 2.30 (95%CI: 1.17-4.54); non-officer, OR = 2.76 (95%CI: 1.36-5.59). Deck group crew, OR = 2.19 (95%CI: 1.14- 4.18); deadweight tonnage of ships under 10 thousand tons, OR = 5.88 (95%CI: 2.07-16.73) compared to ships over 50 thousand tons.

Conclusions: Occupational injuries are a major health problem among Vietnamese seafarers. To prevent occupational injuries, it is necessary to improve living and working conditions on board ships and strengthen training and practice of occupational safety and hygiene on board ships.

Background: Medical emergencies on board are seriously impairing seafarers' safety and health, as well as future work prospects. The purpose of this International Maritime Health Foundation's (IMHF) initiative was to establish common principles for the management of disease and injury by non-medical professionals at sea.

Materials and methods: Nine expert participants actively participated in the workshop in order to identify common principles that should guide the future development of treatment pathways by evaluating selected treatment pathways from The Ship Captain's Medical Guide 23rd Edition in the context of medical intervention on board merchant ships and consensus statements from previous four IMHF EP Workshops on Medical Help on Board. Delphi study survey and a modified RAND-UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM) were used in the process of reaching the consensus.

Results: The result of the workshop is a set of consensus statements on the general principles of development of the future treatment pathways, Results reflect the need for further tuning of the existent treatment pathways or creating new ones, considering their development in the digital format.

Background: Primary healthcare in island regions is a critical component of global health systems, yet it faces unique challenges due to geographical isolation, resource constraints and sociocultural factors.

Aims: This study aimed to systematically analyze the global research landscape of primary healthcare in islands through a bibliometric analysis.

Material and methods: A comprehensive search was conducted to identify relevant publications using Scopus as the primary database. Keyword analysis, co-authorship networks and citation analysis were employed to explore research trends, collaboration patterns and influential authors and institutions.

Results: The results revealed a significant increase in research output over the past few decades, with the United States, Spain and Australia emerging as leading contributors. Key research themes included access to care, health workforce, chronic disease management and health promotion. Collaborative research networks were identified, particularly among researchers from island nations and developed countries. The analysis also highlighted the growing importance of digital health technologies in addressing the challenges of island healthcare.

Conclusions: Research on island primary healthcare has grown steadily since 1972, with key contributions from the United States, Spain and Australia. Major themes include clinical care, health systems and policy. Trends evolved from clinical to systemic and demographic focuses, with future directions emphasizing digital technologies and participatory methods. These findings inform evidence-based policies to enhance island health services.

Background: Several studies have shown that accidents and disasters at sea account for a significant share of seafarers' deaths. Additionally, the experience of a disaster often has a crucial impact on the mental health of survivors. The objective of this systematic review is to analyze the psychomental symptoms and their development over time after a maritime disaster, as well as the scores used to measure the severity of the symptoms.

Materials and methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the scientific databases PubMed, PubPsych, PsycArticles, and Scopus to identify studies related to fatal maritime disasters. This systematic search yielded 239 studies and twelve were ultimately included in the review after the application of specific exclusion criteria.

Results: The included studies described the psychomental symptoms of 40 seafarers, 422 navy and US Coast Guard crew members, and 300 passengers who experienced maritime disasters. Survivors of fatal maritime disasters exhibit significant symptoms of posttraumatic stress and depression. The diagnostic screening cut-offs for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on the Total Impact of Event Scale (IES-Total) score were exceeded in a significant number of the survivors. Although symptoms diminish over time, survivors' mental health often remains significantly affected for several years after the disaster.

Discussion: The symptoms and the severity of PTSD and depression after a maritime disaster and their development over time show parallels with findings from land-based disaster research. Overall, the number of identified studies and their actuality in the field of maritime research are unsatisfactory. This highlights the necessity for additional research in the field of maritime disaster medicine.

Dear Readers, Welcome to this new issue of International Maritime Health Magazine. The field of maritime health has always advanced in a dynamic intersection between progress and reflection, where new challenges meet time-tested lessons. As the maritime industry evolves - technologically, demographically, and operationally - it becomes essential for us to maintain a sharp focus on groundbreaking innovations while embracing the enduring lessons carried in our wake. In these pages, we invite you to look ahead to the emerging winds that are shaping the future of seafaring, while also reflecting on the echoes of earlier tides. Without giving away what follows, I can say that history has a remarkable way to resurface just when we need its guidance most. We hope the contributions in this issue inform, challenge, and inspire as we continue charting a course through a sector undergoing constant transformation. Warm regards, James A. Denham, MD Editor, IMH Magazine.

Background: Burns, especially heat-related ones, are common injuries at work as well as in daily life. If there is no proper treatment, burns will leave a lot of sequelae, affecting daily activities, working ability, aesthetic and psychology of patients. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a new treatment, supporting pain relief, accelerating wound healing process, and reducing hospital stay.

Aim: To describe the clinical characteristics of thermal burn patients right at the time of admission and initial results of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Material and methods: Prospective and retrospective case series report. This study comprised of thermal burn patients, who came to the Vietnam National Institute of Maritime Medicine (VINIMAM) for treatment via hyperbaric oxygen therapy from 2018-2022. Patients were first treated by VINIMAM 1, 2 and 3 regimens, then monitored and periodically assessed for some clinical features demonstrating the effect of this treating method.

Results: The mean age of 82 patients was 48.4 ± 19.5; 74.4% of patients were burned by boiling water; 51.2% of them had 3rd degree burns; percentage of patients with < 10% of total body surface area (TBSA) burned was 80.5%; the mean length of stay was 8.9 ± 3.0 days, which was significantly lower than the expected figures.

Conclusions: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective treatment for thermal burn patients, with a variety of positive effects on burned tissues, therefore it should be scaled up, especially in facilities specialized in burn treatment.

Background and objectives: SCUBA diving is a widely popular activity in Turkey, surrounded by seas on three sides. While most marine creatures in these waters are harmless, a few poses significant risks, necessitating awareness and precautions for divers' safety. This report highlights the various harmful sea creatures found in Turkish waters, their potential injuries, and appropriate first aid responses.

Materials and methods: Data were gathered from workshops, literature reviews, diving activities and case reports.

Results: Notable harmful species include jellyfish, sea anemones, bristle worms, sea urchins, greater weever fish, and others. Injuries range from stings and bites to venom-induced symptoms, requiring immediate and specific medical interventions.

Conclusions: The paper aims to enhance the recognition and management of harmful marine life encounters in Turkish waters, especially among emergency doctors and general practitioners.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of tropical infections that are prevalent in tropical and subtropical countries; they usually stem from poor sanitation and poverty. People affected by NTDs are at risk of various disabilities, disfigurement, and social stigma. Most NTDs are chronic and debilitating illnesses whose treatment generates huge costs and puts a strain on individual and national budgets, especially in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The present article is a review of neglected tropical diseases which are found in East Africa; the study is based on the analysis of the NTDs prevalence in the Malagasy population. Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. Approximately 35% of its residents do not have access to toilets and practice open defecation, and nearly 50% do not have access to safe drinking water. Other factors which are associated with a high prevalence of NTDs in local communities include limited access to healthcare, misinformation, and lack of food safety supervision.