Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/57858
Post-Piracy Guidelines 7R À OO WKLV YRLG 'U 0LFKDHO *DUÀ QNOH SUHSDUHG RXU À UVW GUDIW RI JXLGHOLQHV for the post-piracy care of seafarers, which were developed using meth- ods including an exhaustive review of medical literature on trauma care, as well as using insights from his own clinical experience and training. The draft guidelines also took into account experience gained from the clinical study. They were distributed to an international group of advisors recruited to lend experience and diver- sity to the effort. Representatives of the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md., the U.S. Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, the U.S. Coast Guard, the World Health Organization, and the mental healthcare communities of the Ukraine, the Philippines, and Australia contributed to the review process. The guidelines also took into account sug- gestions from various stakeholders in the maritime industry, including ship- RZQHUV 3 , FOXEV Á DJ VWDWHV FUHZLQJ agencies, unions, and seafarers. 7KH À UVW YHUVLRQ RI WKH JXLGHOLQHV UHF ommended ways to: • KHOS SUHSDUH VHDIDUHUV IRU WKH potentially traumatic experience of transiting zones of piracy, Post-Piracy Care for Seafarers, Version 3.0 health treatment. The scope of the study goes beyond examining how pirate attacks and hostage-taking affect seafarers, however. It also looks at the stress of simply traveling through pirate-infested waters. When we began the clinical study, there was no resource available that provided mental health care advice for seafarers affected by piracy. Furthermore, there was no consensus on how to anticipate the men- tal healthcare needs of seafarers, how to determine whether contact with pirates generated psychological trauma in seafarers, and if intervention was indicated, how an intervention should be carried out. 62 Proceedings Spring 2012 • HVWDEOLVK GHEULHÀ QJ SURFHGXUHV WR incorporate assessment methods that can determine the need for intervention, • GHVLJQ DQG LPSOHPHQW IROORZ XS FDUH Industry-wide Acceptance A second version of the guidelines introduced in Sep- WHPEHU UHÁ HFWHG NQRZOHGJH JDLQHG IURP RXU clinical study and input from maritime stakeholders. Flag states, international organizations, and maritime industry groups circulated these guidelines, and we DUH YHU\ JUDWLÀ HG ZLWK WKHLU EURDG DFFHSWDQFH %XW HYHQ PRUH VLJQLÀ FDQW LV WKH ZLGH LQWHUQDWLRQDO DWWHQ tion now being given to piracy's effects on seafarers and their families. www.uscg.mil/proceedings