Why Should I Check My Marine Medical Kit?
Marine medical kits are an important part of any boat’s standard safety equipment. Many times, medical kits can go unused for weeks, months, or even seasons at a time if there are no onboard injuries. Therefore, it is important to do a check of your current kit to ensure the contents are complete, in good condition, and not expired.
What Types of Kits Are There?
Pre-Packaged Medical Kits
Pre-packaged medical kits are plentiful and easy to come by; however, they often cost more than a comparable kit you can build yourself. The quantity of items in the pre-packaged kits is usually unbalanced and the quality may be lower than what you would normally purchase for yourself. Even so; however, a pre-packaged kit can act as a great starting point should you wish to build upon it.
Custom Built Medical Kits
Building your own kit is simple and straightforward. Shelly Galligan, a USCG 100 ton captain and registered nurse, offers advice on designing a kit fit for your specific situation.
Ultimately, the exact items you carry in your kit depend on the type of boating you’re planning to do. Regardless of your boating habits; however, there are a few key tips to help ensure a secure and well organized kit.
Top Tips for a Safe and Effective Kit
Organize by Body System
Emergencies happen without warning and require quick reaction. Kits that are organized by body system and equipment type help the first responder quickly render service.
Some common groupings are:
- Skin care (bandages, gauze, etc.)
- Bleeding (trauma pads, tourniquet, clotting gauze, etc.)
- Muscle and bone (slings, splints, ace wrap, etc.)
- Eyes, ears, nose, and teeth (q tips, eye wash, dental fill, etc.)
- Tools (gloves, tweezers, headlamp, thermometer, etc.)
- Topical Medications (benadryl cream, aloe, lidocaine, bacitracin, etc.)
- Oral Medications (pain relievers, allergy, gastrointestinal, motion sickness, etc.)
Label the Groups
Store all items from one category together in a heavy duty ziplock bag with a clearly written label. The bag will help keep contents clean and dry as well as allow see through visibility should a label rub off or be difficult to read in an emergency.
Keep it Waterproof and Easy to Access
Keeping the contents of your medical kit in good condition is just as important as being able to locate the contents themselves. Your kit should be waterproof. Any type of waterproof container that can store your items and can be stowed on board within easy reach will work.
It may be worth prepping your kit before selecting the final container to ensure everything can fit inside and the kit will have a home on your boat.
Conclusion
Medical kits are an important part of every boater’s safety gear. Having a complete kit for your specific boating scenarios, whether it be a day trip or a long cruise, is necessary to ensuring safety for you and everyone on board. Kits can come pre-packaged, be custom built, or a mixture of both. Regardless of which method you choose, be sure to organize, label, and store contents properly. Following these tips will help all on board quickly retrieve and respond to a medical emergency that might occur while underway.
