I am getting the final items together before our departure from the UK in August '18.
We are off to Canaries and then ARC to St Lucia in November. A winter around the Islands and then maybe Pacific bound or back to work.....

Ive researched med kits online and they range from the sublime to the ridiculous in size, value, contents etc.
I am trained to a reasonably high standard (MCA/STCW '10 Advanced medical Care Aboard ship) but still require doctors advice from ashore.
Does anyone have a sensible medical kit list that has worked for them. Most off the shelf ones seem to have items i don't need and are missing items i do want to carry.
Many thanks in advance.
James
S/Y Gitana
edited by james.fiske on 7/10/2018

James ours is listed on the Forum and I am happy to help with access to prescription only items when back in the UK early August. Pick what you want.

Hi Simon,
Much appreciated. in my professional capacity we use Medaire but i dont have teh funds nor the space to purchase everything they suggest!!
Where on the forum will i find your list please?
I'll take a look and get in touch. We depart August 11/15th from Plymouth UK for the Islands
James.

James,
Finally found some Wi-fi!

Below is a link to an earlier thread on medical kits. Others have posted their kits as have I. As you know I am happy to help with the prescription only stuff if you need it when back in the UK from 31st July.
Simon

https://forum.oceancruisingclub.org/topic1531-medical-seminar-for-occ-members.aspx?Page=1

I am interested in taking part in the OCC Medical Project.
A few general thoughts about medical kit:
Suture/catheter/rectal infusion kit is useless/dangerous unless one has had some training. The STCW course is the minimum needed to use this equipment. This is an internationally certified course.
I recommend downloading the full Cat A kit list and then working backwards deleting the drugs which will almost certainly not be needed e.g. Ergometrine with Oxytocin for post-delivery/miscarriage bleeding if no child-bearing age women are part of the crew, or Phytomenadione if no new-born babies expected.This way there is less chance of overlooking something useful.
The International Radio Medical Advice Centre (C.I.R.M.) provides a free radio medical advice service to ships of any nationality navigating on all seas of the world. Its HQ is in Rome. They also include arrangements for the transfer, if necessary of a patient to a ship with a doctor on board. Doctors are continuously on duty at the CIRM. Email telesoccorso@cirm.it or telephone +39 06592 90263.
This subject is of interest to me because I am a retired doctor who has recently (2017-18) completed an Atlantic circuit and whose co-skipper did the STCW MCAS course. I am just starting doing research on this subject for a Masters in Medical Education and I could incorporate FAQs into the research.

Hi Maria,
There are a number of good ideas embedded in your comment and much worth pursuing.
In addition to the training that you correctly pointed out was necessary for the use of certain procedures (suturing for ex.), there is another piece of the challenge to a crew being prepared for medical emergencies. That is to find the compromise between choosing the skills to learn while also being aware that anything complicated needs to be practiced with some degree of regularity to be useful in an emergency. It has been my observation that many crews are gung ho for training in the year prior to their departure, but that, as the cruise goes on, few cruisers push themselves to any semblance of “continuing ed” or even a review of their training.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Maria,
That’s great news. I have been getting a significant number of enquiries through this thread and a more structured approach is probably long overdue. Can we talk it over? I can make anytime this weekend for a call if that’s of any use.
Simon

Maria
It was very good to talk about your plans yesterday and I am very much looking forward to seeing the outcomes. It will be fascinating to see if there are differences between ARC participants and OCC members when it comes to designing medical stores. Please use the OCC events at the start and finish of the ARC to promote your survey. Augustin Martin (our Gran Canaria P.O.) will, I am sure, be only too pleased to assist.
Simon

A brief update on this thread.

Maria has now completed the survey looking at the medical preparedness of trans Atlantic crews. It seems to show that crews are rather less prepared than was expected. She is going to go on to write this up as part of a Master’s research project. In addition she will be using research methodology to compile a recommended kit. Maria is keen enlist experienced oceangoing medics to assist in this project so do please respond here if you are interested. It is really pleasing that such a positive piece of work has come out of this thread.
Simon

Good day. Great and useful topic. For what it's worth, I can add this ca. 2009 list to the mix - if helpful.

It should be noted that I am a physician so this might not translate well to all. Additionally, parenteral narcotic medications such as morphine are no longer available in the USA to mere mortals like me.

Rx            Chemical name   Instructions   Dosing and Number   
            
Oral Medications            
Keflex 500 mg         Cephalexin      1 po 4x/day #40   
Levaquin 750 mg      Levofloxacin      1 po daily # 14   
Cipro 750 mg         Ciproflaxacin      1 po 2x/day #20   
Bactrim DS                     1 po 2x/day #20   
Augmentin XR 1000mg               2 tabs Q12h #28   
Prednisone 5 mg   #20   
Hydrocodone 5/500                  1-2 po 4x/day #40   
Oxycodone 5/500                  1 po 4x/day #40   
Dulcolax supp       Biscodyl         #4   
NTG S/L 1/150                  #6   
Ativan 1 mg         Lorazapam      1-2 po 3x/day #12   
Protonix 40 mg            
Pseudofed 60 mg      With phenergan 25 mg every 6 hrs is NASA cocktail      
Stugeron/cinnarzine    15 mg         1 po Q 6-12 hrs   
            
Parenteral Medications   
Chemical name   Instructions   Dosing and Number   
Marcaine          .25% plain         2 bottles   
Lidocaine 2% with epi                  2 bottles   
Ancef 1 gm         Cefazolin   1 gm Q8hrs   7 days = 21 bottles   
Rocephin 2 gm      ceftrioxone NA      1-2 gm once daily   10 bottles   
Solumedrol 125 mg                  2 bottles   
Kenalog 40mg/cc      Tramcinolone         4 2cc vials   
Atropine 1 mg                     2 vials   
MorphineSO4 10 mg/ml               8 1ml vials   
Epinephrine 1:1000 mg/ml            4 vials   
Phenergan sol'n 25mg/ml   promethazine-HCl      8 ampules   
Zofran 2mg/ml 4 mg vial   Ondansetrin      4 vials   
Toradol/Ketorolac 30 mg vials   Tromethamnie      12 vials   
            
Sea Sickness Rx Overview      
Instructions   Dosing and Number   
Phenergan 25-50 mg IM,   see parenteral    ideal before sleep/theraputic      
Scopolamine patch 0.5 mg   see topical   prophylactic      
Stugeron/cinnarzine 15 mg   see oral      1 po Q 6-12 hrs   
Pseudofed 60 mg po plus Phenergan 25 mg IM   see oral   Pseudofed 60mg with Phenergan 25 mg every 6 hrs is NASA cocktail      
Phenergan Suppository      see topical      5   
            
Sea Sickness OTC   
Chemical name   Instructions   Dosing and Number   
Dramamine/dyminhydrinate 50 mg         1 po Q4-6 hrs #36   
Bonine/meclazine 25 mg         1 po Q6-12 hrs #60   
            
OTC   
Chemical name   Instructions   Dosing and Number   
Immodium 2 mg      anti-diarrheal    2 tabs 1st dose #24   
Ibuprophen 200 mg      NSAID      
Kaopectate 12 oz      anti-diarrheal    1 bottle   
MOM 8 oz         laxative   1 bottle   
Ipecap syrup 2 oz         1 bottle   
Pseudofed decong 30 mgantihistamine   100   
Benadryl 25 mg      antihistamine   50   
Loratidine 10mg       antihistamine      antihstamine      
Senna laxitive         laxative      
Pepcid 20 mg         famotodine   A   cid reflux      
Desitin Cream                     Rash      
            
Topical/Eyes/Otic   
Chemical name   Instructions   Dosing and Number   
Silvadene cream 1%         50 gm   
HO cortisone oint. 1%         28 gm   
Erythromycin opthalmic oint.         1/2 oz   
Aurulgan otic sol'n            15 ml   
Miconizol cream 2%         15 gm   
Neomycin polymixin B   Ac-OH/HO Cort otic susp      10 ml   
Desitin Cream            
Flonase 50mcg per spray   Fluticasone propionate         
Albuterol Inhaler 17 gm            
Phenergan Suppository   Promethazine      #5   
Scopolamine patch 0.5 mg      prophylactic   4 boxes   

Best regards,

Bill Strassberg
Visions of Johanna