In what seems like a hundred years ago when I arrived to do a single-handed GP locum in Tongue on the north coast of Scotland, I asked the soon-to-be-going-on-holiday GP what in particular I needed to know — "fish hooks and midge bites" he replied: "To get a fish hook out of the skin, often on the face, get some pliers and cut the shank so you can then pull out the barbed end forwards as it were, and then the tail end backwards. Do not — repeat not — try and pull the whole thing out backwards!" And: "For itchy midge bites antihistamine cream and smear it on" (he had a very large tub of the stuff). Mind you midges are seldom, if ever a problem at anchor, provided you don't anchor in summer on a calm night right under trees. For urgent medical care in Scotland, dial 999 if you are in mobile range. For less urgent things phone NHS 24 (ph 111) who will give you appropriate advice (but sometimes they do take their time to answer the phone). Of course, at sea and out of mobile range, there is the ever-helpful coastguard on channel 16.
For doing your own thing you should have in your medicine chest, which should be in a watertight box of some sort:
- Pain killers (paracetamol, aspirin, brufen/ibuprofen)
- Anti sea-sickness medication (anti-emetics). Discuss with your local pharmacist, particularly if you are on other medications
- Triangular bandage
- Crepe bandages
- Melolin dressings
- Micropore tape
- Waterproof elastoplast
- Cotton wool
- Gauze swabs
- Steristrips to hold minor cuts together
- Glue for bigger cuts
- Electrolyte solution for oral rehydration
- Antihistamine cream
- Sunblock and lipblock (yes, even in Scotland)
Think about a urinary catheter and lubricating jelly for the prostatic older male crew. I have known situations where one would have been helpful, and there was a doctor on board who would have known how to use it if they had had a catheter available.
How much minor surgery you want to do is up to you, but if you are competent take, and if you can get hold of them: some sutures, local anaesthetic, syringes and green needles, artery forceps, scalpels, tweezers which have many other uses, and scissors (as well as the boat scissors). I wouldn't try a general anaesthetic if I were you, but the more adventurous doctor, nurse or paramedic could take a face-mask and oropharyngeal tube maybe. A battery- powered cardiac defibrillator might be reassuring for the older crew (available from Amazon I believe).
Cuts at sea are common and don't heal well if exposed to salt water every day. To minimise the risk of infection, wash the wound in fresh water and protect as best as possible with plasters/micropore etc. Also if you have the know-how, suturing (or a steristrip) makes a cut waterproof and less prone to infection.
(Thanks to my GP-daughter Margaret for her help with this page, she knows much more about these issues than a long retired neurologist like me).