Have you ever seen the series of popular “Dummies” instructional books? Chances are, yes; there are more than 1,000 titles to date. The use of “dummies” in each title is light-hearted. As the publisher of the books puts it, the goal is help customers turn “I can’t” into “I can.”
I was reminded of this philosophy when I met with the team from Ocean Medical International last week. Ocean Medical International has been providing medical kits and advice to the yacht industry for 16 years. Not only are its directors licensed doctors, but also its general manager is a captain, and its sales manager is a nurse. Combine these with the fact that many of the most famous yachts afloat – like Haida G, Ice, Predator, Antares, MITseaAH, and Timoneer – use its products, and Ocean Medical International is a compelling company.
Ocean Medical International’s latest product, the Safe Triage System, further empowers those aboard yachts to address an emergency. It employs telemedicine, one of the fastest-growing ways that injuries and other health threats are being diagnosed and treated. The practice entails using the Internet or other communications method to send information about a patient, typically in a remote area, to doctors, with those experts then explaining how to help the patient.
If you look at the image above, you’ll see a yellow-handled device. Ocean Medical International refers to it as a tablet. It has a brightly lit screen with touch-screen menus, and you can even “write” on it with a stylus pen to obtain information and instructions quicker. The Ocean Medical International team demonstrated both approaches for me. I found the touch-screen menus intuitive – and I don’t have CPR or other medical training, so others should find similar success. In fact, Ocean Medical International created the Safe Triage System particularly with people like me in mind.
But I was particularly impressed with the writing approach. I haven’t seen other telemedicine devices employing this method, but more important, I thought it would be helpful in a panic situation. It’s far easier to write “deep wound” or “stopped breathing” than to scroll through menus of information, as easy as those menus are to follow.
In situations where more medical help is needed, the Safe Triage System uses Bluetooth or WiFi connections to put you in touch with doctors at The First Call, part of the Royal Aberdeen Infirmary in Scotland. The facility is quite prominent, lending medical aid for at-sea emergencies in the North Sea and working with companies like Cisco to test other telemedicine methods. The Safe Triage system auto-populates your location via GPS and allows you to send the doctors your name and pertinent information regarding the patient (the software prompts you to enter specific details so that you don’t have to figure out what’s important). If need be, the Safe Triage System can be hooked up to an ECG and other monitors, included in the kit, so that heart rate, body temperature, and other measurements can be transmitted to the doctors.
Another impressive feature: The Safe Triage System contains a camera. This way, you can take a photo of the patient’s injury and transmit that to the Royal Aberdeen Infirmary staff.
Waterproof to two meters (about 66 feet) and sealed against dust intrusion, the Safe Triage System can also float, and it can even be dropped onto a hard surface without harm. It costs £29,000 (about $46,235), which may sound like a lot of money, but it’s a few thousand lower than at least one other telemedicine provider in the yacht industry. The cost includes one-year support from The First Call.
And when it comes to safeguarding those who travel aboard your yacht, I think it’s safe to say that no price is too much to pay.
UPDATE: Pricing has been reduced to £22,250 ($35,379 approx.) with a £1,000 annual fee ($1,590) for software and technical upgrades. The First Call service is an additional £400 annual fee, or as a £165 pay-as-you-use fee ($636 and $262, respectively).
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