Sagaro Getu Gamo, Di Canio Marzio, Talevi Emanuele, Amenta Francesco
Telemedicine and Telepharmacy Center, School of Medicinal and Health Products Sciences, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy.
Research Department, Centro Internazionale Radio Medico (C.I.R.M.), 00144 Rome, Italy.
Healthcare (Basel). 2021 Jan 13;9(1):69. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9010069.
Telemedicine has already been applied to various medical specialties for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up visits for the general population. Telemedicine has also proven effective by providing advice, diagnosis, and treatment to seafarers during emergency medical events onboard ships. However, it has not yet been applied for pre-employment medical examinations and follow-up visits on board ships.
This review aimed to assess the possibility of using telemedicine during periodic visits between one pre-employment medical examination and others on board ships, and to recommend necessary medical examination tests with screening intervals for seafarers.
Various databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library were explored using different keywords, titles, and abstracts. Studies published between 1999 and 2019, in English, in peer-reviewed journal articles, and that are conference proceedings were considered. Finally, the studies included in this review were chosen on the basis of the eligibility criteria.
Out of a total of 168 studies, 85 studies were kept for further analysis after removing the duplicates. A further independent screening based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria resulted in the withdrawal of 51 studies that were not further considered for our analysis. Finally, 32 studies were left, which were critically reviewed. Out of 32 accepted studies, 10 studies demonstrated the effectiveness of the electrocardiogram (ECG) in monitoring and managing remote patients with heart failure, early diagnosis, and postoperative screening. In 15 studies, telespirometry was found to be effective in diagnosing and ruling out diseases, detecting lung abnormalities, and managing patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Seven studies reported that telenephrology was effective, precise, accurate, and usable by non-medical personnel and that it reduced sample analysis times and procedures in laboratories.
using new technologies such as high-speed internet, video conferencing, and digital examination, personnel are able to make the necessary tests and perform virtual medical examination on board ships with necessary training.
远程医疗已应用于各种医学专科，用于普通人群的诊断、治疗及随访。远程医疗在为船上紧急医疗事件中的海员提供建议、诊断和治疗方面也已被证明是有效的。然而，它尚未应用于船上的入职前体检和随访。
本综述旨在评估在船上一次入职前体检与其他定期体检之间使用远程医疗的可能性，并为海员推荐必要的体检项目及筛查间隔。
使用不同的关键词、标题和摘要对包括PubMed、EMBASE、Scopus、CINAHL和Cochrane图书馆在内的各种数据库进行检索。纳入1999年至2019年期间发表的、英文的、同行评审期刊文章及会议论文。最后，根据纳入标准选择本综述中包含的研究。
在总共168项研究中，去除重复项后保留85项研究进行进一步分析。基于纳入和排除标准进行的进一步独立筛选导致51项研究被排除，不再纳入我们的分析。最后，剩下32项研究进行严格评审。在32项被接受的研究中，10项研究证明心电图（ECG）在监测和管理心力衰竭远程患者、早期诊断及术后筛查方面有效。在15项研究中，远程肺功能测定被发现可有效诊断和排除疾病、检测肺部异常以及管理慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）和哮喘患者。7项研究报告称远程肾脏病学有效、精确、准确且非医务人员也可使用，并且它减少了实验室样本分析时间和程序。
通过使用高速互联网、视频会议和数字检查等新技术，人员在接受必要培训后能够在船上进行必要的检查并开展虚拟体检。
