Lectures

Cruise Medicine: Medicine on the Open Seas

Recording

Q&A

Questions:

1. Do you have any resources you recommend for those interested in cruise medicine for health care providers?

2. How do you balance working as cruises physician with your career as an EM physician?

3. What credentials do you need to be a cruise physician?

4. Are there any medical incidents that require the immediate return of a ship to port without question? Or is every incident a case by case basis?

5. What are the resources like for treatment of post-arrest patients until they can be disembarked? Do cruise ships have interim ICUs onboard to manage critically ill patients until they can be brought to a hospital?

6. How many physicians are on board for each voyage?

7. What do you do with the bodies if someone passes away on board?

8. Have you found any issues with interactions between the cruise doctor and the tour doctor or tour manager about guest medical issues or evacuations? Also, where should you choose your cabin on the ship to reduce the risk of seasickness in rough conditions?

9. What is the "reportable level" for a norovirus outbreak?

10. Do you have tPA onboard? Heparin?

Response from Dr. Jackson:

For followup, I would suggest ACEP's Cruise Medicine Section page.

Individuals can access the Guidelines document which answers most of the questions above.

There is also this BMJ article on cruise medicine career aspects - https://www.bmj.com/content/328/7438/s83.2