Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine Hamburg (ZfAM), Hamburg, Germany (Department of Maritime Medicine).
Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2019 Nov 15;32(6):805-815. doi: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01436. Epub 2019 Oct 25.
Good communication between seafarers and their families at home is essential to compensate for the work-related strain experienced on board ships. This paper presents the needs and possibilities for communication with home in seafaring.
In total, 323 seafarers were interviewed during their work assignments on board (the participation rate of 88.5%). The results were stratified by cultural background, family ties, rank groups and shipping routes.
The average stay of the officers on board the current vessels lasted 4 months and that of the ratings 9 months (p < 0.001). About a third of the officers and a half of the ratings evaluated these lengths of stay as too long. In the study, only 50 participants (15.5%) mentioned that the Internet on board their previous vessel was available for private use. Only 40.6% of these crew members stated that they had used it on a daily basis. Particularly the seafarers assigned to worldwide destinations and crew members without children experienced the insufficient possibilities for telecommunication as work-related strain (OR 1.87, 95% CI: 1.15-3.04 respective OR 2.00, 95% CI: 1.03-3.88). The average amount of time spent on telecommunication amounted to more than 2.5 h/week (which equals approximately 20 min/day). The average cost of about USD 30/week for telecommunication was considered by 24.7% of the seafarers as "much too high."
The fact that several crew members considered the time spans of their assignments as too long should lead to certain adjustments. In view of the importance of good options for shipboard telecommunication, this study makes an essential contribution to understanding the crews' needs. Measures should be taken to improve communication by allowing an easier access to information and communication technology (ICT) (on board and ashore), by offering cheaper fees, and by providing Internet access in their cabins. The study results show a substantial need to improve the means of communication on board ships. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2019;32(6):805-15.
海员与其在国内的家人之间保持良好的沟通对于弥补船上工作带来的压力至关重要。本文介绍了海员与家人沟通的需求和可能性。
共对 323 名海员在船上工作期间（参与率为 88.5%）进行了访谈。结果按文化背景、家庭关系、职级群体和航线进行分层。
目前船舶上的高级船员平均留船时间为 4 个月，普通船员为 9 个月（p < 0.001）。约有三分之一的高级船员和一半的普通船员认为这些留船时间过长。在研究中，只有 50 名参与者（15.5%）提到他们之前船上的互联网可供私人使用。只有 40.6%的船员表示他们每天都在使用。特别是被派往全球各地目的地的海员和没有孩子的船员，他们认为通讯机会不足是工作压力的来源（OR 1.87，95%CI：1.15-3.04 及 OR 2.00，95%CI：1.03-3.88）。船员用于通讯的平均时间每周超过 2.5 小时（每天约 20 分钟）。24.7%的船员认为每周约 30 美元的通讯费用“太高了”。
一些船员认为他们的工作期限过长，这一事实应该导致某些调整。鉴于船上通讯的良好选择的重要性，本研究对了解船员的需求做出了重要贡献。应采取措施改善通讯，允许更容易地访问信息和通信技术（ICT）（船上和岸上），降低费用，并在船员舱室内提供互联网接入。研究结果表明，有必要改善船舶上的通讯手段。国际职业医学与环境卫生杂志。2019；32（6）：805-15。
