Seafarers Hospital Society Sets Emergency Medical KPIs
New key performance indicators aim to help maritime organisations prepare for and respond to medical emergencies onboard ships.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Safety
Seafarers Hospital Society has developed Key Performance Indicators for medical emergencies on ships, expanding its Best Practice KPI work. The indicators assess how maritime organisations prepare for, respond to and learn from such emergencies.
Why it matters
Medical emergencies at sea face challenges including delays to shore-based medical help, crew readiness and initial response, and limited onboard medical resources. A structured framework gives maritime organisations a practical way to measure and improve their emergency preparedness.
The proposed indicators cover medical equipment inspections, emergency procedures, access to Telemedical Assistance Services, time to first medical assessment, medical evacuations, emergency medical drills and post-incident reviews across four progressive levels. The framework follows a June workshop with medical experts from the International Maritime Health Association and International Maritime Health Foundation, and it remains unclear how many organisations will adopt it.
The players
Seafarers Hospital Society
A United Kingdom-based charity that provides healthcare and welfare support to seafarers and has developed maritime health performance frameworks.
International Maritime Health Association
An international body that brings together maritime health professionals to share expertise on the medical care of seafarers.
International Maritime Health Foundation
An organisation that supports research, education and practice in maritime health for seafarers worldwide.
The details
The KPIs follow the emergency pathway from preparedness and initial assessment through escalation, treatment, evacuation or shore-based care, and review and recovery. They are designed as a practical framework for self-assessment and improvement rather than a regulatory requirement.
Timeline
June: Seafarers Hospital Society convenes a workshop with IMHA and IMHF medical experts that informs the indicators.
2023: Seafarers Hospital Society develops its Best Practice KPI Toolkit, which the emergency KPIs extend.
Season Trajectory
The emergency KPIs extend the four-level framework of the 2023 Best Practice KPI Toolkit into medical emergency response, which is a narrower domain than the toolkit's general health practices. This places the new indicators as a follow-on to an existing structured approach to seafarer health management.
Maritime employers and ship operators can use the four-level indicators to self-assess how prepared their vessels are for medical emergencies. Crew should confirm that onboard medical equipment is inspected and that emergency drills are carried out regularly.
The takeaway
Organisations responsible for seafarers can use a structured self-assessment to identify gaps in emergency readiness before a medical incident occurs. Regular drills and reviews after incidents are central to improving onboard care.
Further reading
Explore more on Safety to see how emergency preparedness frameworks like these fit into broader maritime and worker safety efforts.
More information
Find the SHS Best Practice KPI work information on the Seafarers Hospital Society website.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Hellenic Shipping News.
