March 22, 2002
MEDICAL SUPPLIES

Neither Brian nor Colleen requires prescription medicine continuously, so we have no need to obtain a specific drug on a regular basis. However, we do carry prescription drugs for a variety of uses. To top up our supply chest and to replace out-of-date drugs, we visit local doctors and ask them for a list of prescriptions. After explaining our circumstances we have had no difficulty in obtaining prescription medicines anywhere in the world.

A few general tips based on our experience are as follows:

Pharmaceuticals

You can administer much stronger doses of painkiller if you have them in the form of suppositories rather than oral forms. You need to decide whether you will carry injectable drugs - e.g., morphine - and then carry a supply of syringes. (Some injectable drugs need to be mixed with water so you also need to carry water ampoules). When considering strong painkillers, consider taking an anti-inflammatory product as well as a general painkiller. Anti-inflammatories treat the source of certain types of pain and allow the person to continue to function, whereas drugs such as morphine significantly affect mental functions. Do not administer morphine if there is any head injury.

Antibiotics: You can get good general purpose antibiotics so that you do not need to carry too many different types. We carry penicillin-based antibiotics, and an alternative if the first type is not working. If you are cruising in the tropics, skin infections are a potential problem. It is worth carrying a supply of topical antibiotic cream to use in the first instance, then you only need to take oral antibiotics if the topical form is not clearing up the infection. It is very important to look after skin infections in the tropics, especially on the legs, as these can rapidly develop into ulcers.

Storage

Make sure there is more than one person on board who knows where the medicines are, what is carried, and how they are to be used - for sure that will be the person who gets incapacitated. Sort your medical supplies into "parts of the body". We keep our supplies in ziplock bags clearly marked "EYES", "SKIN", "STOMACH" etc. As an example, in our "EYES" bag we have an eye bath and wash, eye patches, and prescription ointment to treat infection.

Dressings, etc.

Fractures: As well as a good supply of dressings/bandages, we carry a neck brace and several inflatable splints for arms, wrists and legs.

Burns: There are excellent purpose-specific burns dressings available now, and they are a much better solution than conventional dressings.

Cuts: We carry various dressings and steri-strips for bad cuts, but we also have sutures and needles so that we can stitch more difficult cuts. If you need to stitch, make the decision, do it immediately, and clean the wound thoroughly (even if it is painful for the patient - better a bit of pain now than an infection later). Never stitch a wound that has been left for any length of time.

Teeth: Dental repair kits are available, which allow you to effect a temporary repair sufficient to alleviate discomfort until you can get to a dentist.

Medical Supplies

In the event of a serious illness in remote areas, we carry a sterile supply of medical equipment that we could take with us to any medical establishments - e.g., IV bags and tubes, or disposable syringes. We also carry a catheter.

Diagnostic Equipment

Before we left the UK to go cruising, we attended the Ship's Captain's Medical Course - a five-day course covering First Aid, illness diagnosis, stitching, injecting and patient care. Even without attending the course, the accompanying book is an excellent reference document. One of its main roles is to help you to give relevant information to a doctor remotely - e.g,. over the SSB radio or e-mail. As a consequence we carry a stethoscope, blood pressure gauge, and urine testing kit.

Oxygen

Because we SCUBA dive, often in remote locations, we carry a DAN Oxygen kit. Although primarily for diving accidents, oxygen is also of use in case of heart attacks, asthma attacks etc.

Notes

Ship's Captain's Medical Guide: ISBN 0 11 550684 5. HMSO Publications.