A cost–benefit analysis of the effect of shipboard telemedicine in a selected oceanic region

Abstract

Data from a selected oceanic region, the UK search and rescue region, were used to establish the average annual number of ship diversions and emergency service call-outs arising from urgent medical problems of passengers or crew. During the period 1997–8 there were 228 medical evacuations. An attempt was made to estimate the extent to which some or all of the diversions and call-outs could have been averted if telemedical facilities had been available on-board the ships. The analysis showed that telemedicine would be an expensive alternative to existing evacuation methods, but did not allow for the fact that helicopter and lifeboat evacuations cannot be carried out in bad weather or at distances over 200 nautical miles (370 km) from land. Taking into consideration the cost of ship diversions in such circumstances produces completely different results. Telemedicine could clearly provide substantial cost-savings for the shipping industry, and a separate analysis focused on the shipowner alone would make an overwhelming economic argument for investment in a telemedicine service simply on the strength of diversion avoidance.