Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37237421›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2023

Accidents, diseases and health complaints among seafarers on German-flagged container ships.

Nora Annelies Bilir, Lorenz Scheit, Martin Dirksen-Fischer, Claudia Terschüren, Robert Herold, Volker Harth, Marcus Oldenburg

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Nora Annelies Bilir *Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Seewartenstr. 10, 20459, Hamburg, Germany.
Lorenz Scheit *Clinic for Internal Medicine, Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Hamburg, Lesser Str. 180, 22049, Hamburg, Germany.
Martin Dirksen-FischerHamburg Port Health Center, Beltgens Garten 2, 20537, Hamburg, Germany.
Claudia TerschürenFaculty Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg), Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany.
Robert HeroldInstitute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Seewartenstr. 10, 20459, Hamburg, Germany.
Volker HarthInstitute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Seewartenstr. 10, 20459, Hamburg, Germany.
Marcus OldenburgInstitute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Seewartenstr. 10, 20459, Hamburg, Germany. marcus.oldenburg@justiz.hamburg.de.
Universität Hamburg · DEUniversity Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf · DEBundeswehrkrankenhaus · DEHamburg Port Consulting (Germany) · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFor seafarers on the high seas health hazards are various and due to the setting also specific. The spectrum of job-related health impairments and accidents is mainly influenced by the maritime characteristics. The aim of this study is to assess the kind of accidents and the frequency of diseases and health complaints among seafarers on German container ships by evaluating medical log books.

methodsA systematic analysis of 14,628 medical entries from 95 medical log books of 58 container ships under German flag from 1995 to 2015 was performed. This monocentric retrospective and descriptive study used information on accidents, diseases and health complaints among different occupational groups and medical treatment procedures for the analysis and evaluation.

resultsThe analysis showed that more than one third of all consultations with the Health Officer on board are related to internal (33.7%) and surgical (31.3%) symptoms. Almost twenty percent of consultations were due to respiratory infections (19.6%) and accidents (17.9%). Accidents represented the most frequent reason for unfitness for sea service (31.2%). Based on occupational categories, most injuries occurred among deck crew (22.5%), followed by ratings working in the engine room (18.9%). In 106 cases, telemedical contact with a physician ashore was necessary. In total, 15 seafarers had to be evacuated from the ship for further medical treatment onshore. Medicine/drug application was the most common therapeutic measure on board, accounting for 77% of all consultations.

conclusionsThe high proportion of health complaints and accidents among seafarers shows that there is a need to optimize medical care at sea and accident prevention, e.g. by standardized treatment algorithms or improving the medical training of Health Officers. The development and introduction of a digital patient file to record medical treatments on the vessels could also improve medical documentation on board.

Indexed as

Occupational DiseasesTelemedicineAccident PreventionAccidents, OccupationalHumansRetrospective StudiesShipsAccidentsContainer shipsDiseasesHealth complaintsSeafarers

Identifiers

PMID37237421
PMCPMC10213573
OpenAlexW4378378581

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.