Qualification of ship doctors: a German approach.

Background: While a steady growth of cruise tourism since the 1970s created an increasing demand for ship doctors medical postgraduate specialty training did not sufficiently reflect the scope of skills and knowledge required from a physician being left to himself at sea. The German Maritime Health Association therefore tasked a working group with analysing the situation and coming up with suggestions for an adequate postgraduate training for ship doctors.

Materials And Methods: The working group consisted of 19 experts with various backgrounds in maritime medicine.