open access
Training needs among maritime professionals: a cross sectional study
Affiliations- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Esbjerg, Denmark
open access
Abstract
Background: Maritime medical practice includes assessment of fitness, management of medical emergencies
and healthcare on board and ashore. A better response to seagoing professionals’ health requirements
can be achieved when all the respective stakeholders have a common understanding. Training is
a powerful tool to raise awareness and in particular continuing professional development is very significant
in sustaining competencies of these professionals. The objective of the study was to identify maritime
professionals’ perceived training needs.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among maritime professionals participated
in the 14th International Symposium on Maritime Health. Fifty responses with the response rate of 42.7%
were received with medical doctors representing 78% of the sample. Descriptive statistics were used to
describe the basic characteristics of the data needs using STATA 15.1.
Results: Among the 23 themes, the ranking of perceived training needs was highest for fitness evaluation and examination guidelines and working conditions (both with the same percentage 86%), onboard medicine 82%, rules and regulations and health and safety at work (with the same percentage 80%). The lowest was on gender issues 32%.
Conclusions: The finding suggests the planning and effective implementation of further training for the
maritime health professionals in a variety of topics including financing and management issues. Highest
importance of training was expressed by those over 40 years and by medical doctors with more than
10 years of practice. These findings could usefully be combined with a qualitative study to gain in-depth
results and may help the respective authorities to organise relevant training.
Abstract
Background: Maritime medical practice includes assessment of fitness, management of medical emergencies
and healthcare on board and ashore. A better response to seagoing professionals’ health requirements
can be achieved when all the respective stakeholders have a common understanding. Training is
a powerful tool to raise awareness and in particular continuing professional development is very significant
in sustaining competencies of these professionals. The objective of the study was to identify maritime
professionals’ perceived training needs.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among maritime professionals participated
in the 14th International Symposium on Maritime Health. Fifty responses with the response rate of 42.7%
were received with medical doctors representing 78% of the sample. Descriptive statistics were used to
describe the basic characteristics of the data needs using STATA 15.1.
Results: Among the 23 themes, the ranking of perceived training needs was highest for fitness evaluation and examination guidelines and working conditions (both with the same percentage 86%), onboard medicine 82%, rules and regulations and health and safety at work (with the same percentage 80%). The lowest was on gender issues 32%.
Conclusions: The finding suggests the planning and effective implementation of further training for the
maritime health professionals in a variety of topics including financing and management issues. Highest
importance of training was expressed by those over 40 years and by medical doctors with more than
10 years of practice. These findings could usefully be combined with a qualitative study to gain in-depth
results and may help the respective authorities to organise relevant training.
Keywords
perceived training needs, health professionals, maritime sector, symposium on maritime health
About this articleTitle
Training needs among maritime professionals: a cross sectional study
Journal
Issue
Article type
Original article
Pages
129-136
Published online
2018-06-22
Page views
1734
Article views/downloads
1551
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
IMH 2018;69(2):129-136.
Keywords
perceived training needs
health professionals
maritime sector
symposium on maritime health
Authors
Binu Shah
Despena Andrioti
Olaf Chresten Jensen
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