Seafarers Hospital Society Launches KPIs for Onboard Medical Emergencies
The Seafarers Hospital Society (SHS), a maritime health charity, has released a new set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to help shipping companies measure how well they deal with medical emergencies on board. The KPIs were announced on 2 November and apply to ships everywhere, not to any single country or port.
The new measures add to the charity’s Best Practice KPI programme. They were developed after a workshop in June that SHS held with medical experts from the International Maritime Health Association (IMHA) and the International Maritime Health Foundation (IMHF).
The SHS Medical Emergency Best Practice KPI Toolkit has four levels, so companies can start with the basics and improve step by step. It covers four main areas:
- Preparedness – checks of medical equipment, written procedures and access to Telemedical Assistance Services (TMAS).
- Response – the time from an incident to the first medical assessment, and contact with doctors ashore.
- Outcomes – recording medical emergencies, evacuations and deaths.
- Training and recovery – medical drills, crew resilience and support after an incident.
The toolkit suggests that companies track medical emergencies, evacuations and deaths per 100 seafarers each year, so they can compare results over time and across their fleets. It is a voluntary self-assessment, not a new rule.
Ships usually have no doctor on board, and help ashore can be days away, so a fast and well-practised response can save lives. If more companies use these measures, seafarers could expect better-stocked medical lockers, more realistic drills, quicker contact with doctors ashore and more support after a serious incident on board.
