title: Might telesonography be a new useful diagnostic tool aboard merchant ships? A pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Developments of new, ultra-light diagnostic ultrasound systems (UTS) and modern satellite telecommunication networks are opening new potential applications for diagnostic sonography. One such area is maritime medicine. It is our belief that ship officers can be trained to use diagnostic ultrasound systems with the aim to generate ultrasound images of sufficient quality to be interpreted by medical professionals qualified to read sonograms.
  
  
  METHODS
  To test our thesis we included lectures and hands on scanning practice to the current maritime medicine curriculum at the Faculty of Maritime Studies at the University of Rijeka. Following the didactic and practical training all participating students examined several patients, some with pathology some without. Images obtained by students were then submitted for interpretation to a qualified physician (specialist of general surgery trained in UTS) who was unaware of the patient's pathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 37 students performed 37 examinations and made 45 ultrasound images, on 3 patients. In this paper, results on this pilot study are presented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is possible to teach ship officers to produce diagnostically usable ultrasound pictures aboard ships at sea. But before reaching final conclusion about applicability of telesonography on board merchant ships, further studies are necessary, that would include studies of economic feasibility, and on validity of introducing such a diagnostic tool to the maritime medical practice.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Maritime Studies, Rijeka, Croatia. travel-medicina@ri.t-com.hr
authors.forename: Nebojsa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nikolić
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mozetić
authors.forename: Bob
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Modrcin
authors.forename: Slaven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jaksić
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017523:Croatia; D042882:Gallstones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009326:Naval Medicine / Q000193:education / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019114:Remote Consultation; D012767:Ships / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014463:Ultrasonography