The Ship Captain's Medical Guide - 24th Edition
'The Ship Captain's Medical Guide' is intended primarily for use on vessels where there is no medical professional on board. It provides assistance and direction for crewmembers when it becomes necessary for them to assess and treat trauma and medical illness. Ships and fishing vessels which carry Category A or Category B stores are required also to carry a copy of the Guide.
This new Guide, the 24th edition, continues to keep pace with the rapid changes in best-practice medicine, medical technology and global communications. It also provides reference for medical training courses, and a framework for crewmembers within which to think, when faced with unfamiliar medical problems at sea.
It contains:
- Flow charts to aid evaluation and treatment
- incorporation of 'red flags' to aid identification of potentially life-threatening conditions
- clear, authoritative advice and easy-to-follow guidance
- step-by-step illustrations to explain emergency procedures
- cross references to further detail
- anatomical illustrations.
The 24th edition includes the following updates:
- Revised spinal immobilisation section
- updates to antibiotics guide
- new content on Covid and infectious diseases
- updates to the emergency algorithms
- new lighter, flexi-bound format using 100% recycled material.
They provide a 24-hour maritime search and rescue service around the UK coast and in the international search and rescue region through HM Coastguard, and inspect and survey ships to ensure that they are meeting UK and international safety rules. They also provide certification to seafarers, register vessels and respond to pollution from shipping and offshore installations. The publications from MCA include record books, health and safety guidance and mandatory documents for all ships.
- Number of Pages:
- 336
- Published Date:
- December 2024
- Publication Date:
- November 2025
- Author:
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)