The Federal Ministry of Transport has released a free app that brings the Medical Handbook for Seafarers to your smartphone. It is called “MediSee” and is primarily aimed at professional seafarers – but it contains everything that recreational sailors also need to know in a medical emergency: from airways to dental treatment, with audio guidance, videos and an offline function.
Always to hand in an emergency
When you open the new “MediSee” app, you’re taken straight to the life-saving emergency procedures: CPR, severe bleeding, foreign objects in the airways, anaphylactic shock and chemical burns to the eyes. Each section provides a spoken guide through the necessary steps. This leaves your hands free to administer first aid.
Life-saving first aid procedures can be accessed at any time and from any location, supplemented by audio and video instructions as well as direct links to sub-chapters of the Medical Handbook for Seafarers. An intelligent keyword search helps you navigate quickly to the relevant content, even in stressful situations.
From respiratory care to dental treatment
The treatment measures described range from wound care and injection techniques, through pain management and oxygen therapy, to dealing with blocked airways and dental treatment.
This guide to medical conditions is based on the *Medical Handbook for Seafarers* – a standard reference work of over 500 pages published by the Maritime Medical Service of the BG Verkehr, which is part of the compulsory equipment on German seagoing vessels. It is written specifically for laypeople, without technical jargon, and is structured systematically: Causes – Symptoms – Treatment – Medicines. Covering everything from the cardiovascular and nervous systems, through seasickness and tropical diseases, to poisoning and death on board.
In addition, there is information on the compulsory medical equipment for commercially operated boats, some of which should also be useful for recreational boaters.
Videos for emergencies
The video library includes demonstrations of resuscitation techniques, the setting of fractures, the reduction of a dislocated shoulder, transport using a vacuum mattress, and dental treatment on board. Once you have seen how something is done, you are less likely to make mistakes in an emergency.
Offline, bilingual, free of charge
The app is bilingual (German/English) and – a key requirement on board – works even without an internet connection. You can save personal notes.
MediSee is available free of charge on the App Store and Google Play:
Ursula Meer
Redakteurin Panorama und Reise
