Perceived training needs of health professionals working in maritime sector: A Cross Sectional Study

ABSTRACT

Background

This thesis is an attempt to understand the perception of training needs of health professionals working in maritime sector. In this regard, this thesis will assess the maritime sector health professionals’ interests and perception of their own expertise, needs and challenges in relation to continuous professional development.

Objectives


 * 1) To identify how the health professionals’, perceive their own expertise, needs and challenges in relation to continuous training.
 * 2) To examine the role of associated factors/ covariates for perceived training needs of the health professionals working in shipping sector.

Methods

A literature review was done to identify the existing research and information on the research objectives. "Google Forms" was used for a questionnaire distributed by mail to all the 117 participants in the 14th International Symposium on Maritime Health, Manila, Philippines, 21- 24 March 201. The response rate was 43 % response-rate among the 50 health professionals. Data was analysed by Stata.

Results The highest ranking of the training needs were: Fitness evaluation & examination guidelines 86 %, Rules & regulations, 80 %, National & international policies & networking 72 %, International health regulations 70 %, Monitoring & legislation implementation 70 %, Prevention program planning 68 %, Health economics & system policies  60 % Working conditions	86 %, Health & safety at work 80 %, Onboard medicine	82 %, Early diagnosis & follow up	78 %, Medicine emergencies	74 %, On the other hand, training needs on gender issues had the lowest prevalence. The prevalence of training on working conditions and fitness evaluation and medical examination guidelines was the highest 86% whereas trainings on research methodology and gender issues had the lowest prevalence of 56% and 32% respectively.

Conclusions Continuing professional development training (CPD) is very important in supporting the sustained competencies of health care providers. Health profession is comparatively honorable profession with great social responsibilities of health professionals’ group based under social regulations to fulfill social expectations of people (127). In this study, among the 23 topics for perceived training needs, trainings related to health safety and risk management and policy, rules and regulations had high prevalence of perception followed by training needs related to organization of maritime health services.

 Recommendations

Concerning a follow up of expresseds needs for training, a qualitative study should be established. This could be done by inviting a group of maritime doctors, GPs and representatives from ship owners, unions and the Danish Maritime Authority. The next step would be to establish training courses about the most needed issues