In a world filled with viruses that can ruin a cruise vacation for thousands of guests or even put a ship out of commission, the new netTALK MARITIME Integrated Passenger and Crew Communications Experience gives cruise lines the ability to identify a sick passenger early and quarantine him or her immediately. This makes the ship safer for all onboard and provides much needed reassurance to the cruising public who are currently reluctant to set sail again.
The netTALK MARITIME system has seamlessly joined with the Tritan Software SeaCare platform, allowing frequent, critical, real-time health information to be sent electronically to the ship’s medical team without any initial physical interaction required. The SeaCare platform complies with all governmental requirements and can receive, process, monitor, protect, and manage the required health data of each person onboard (guests and crew). All of this is provided through the ongoing contactless health-check methods gathered and made available securely through netTALK MARITIME.
The screening process includes noninvasive pulse reading and rhythm, respiration rate and rhythm, fever detection (coming soon), Sp02 oxygen saturation (coming soon), and a chat-bot questionnaire based on current triage protocols used by hospitals. A photo is taken at time of measurement to ensure identity.
With this interactive method, symptoms are quickly caught, allowing the sick person to be quarantined immediately. The chance of broad contamination is instantly minimized. The medical staff is alerted to any potential health problem, allowing them to make an assessment, a diagnosis, and a recommendation for care.
Screenings can be custom configured by guest or crew location in real-time, by certain time intervals, or simply self-reporting at their leisure before leaving their cabin - not just at embarkation and debarkation. Guests are also quickly checked when entering public areas of the ship to prevent contamination of large gatherings. Crew members are screened at key points, such as before entering guest cabins, before manning workstations, and at other scheduled times to verify they are healthy and able to work around other crew and guests.
For sick passengers required to quarantine, virtual checkups continue directly from their cabins. Using the passenger’s mobile phone and the cruise line’s own app embedded with the netTALK MARITIME system, the medical team can communicate with patients via voice, video, walkie- talkie, and chat features, and can also facilitate shore-side doctors to speak directly with patients. Some vital-sign diagnostics can even be checked via the mobile phone’s camera, further minimizing any personal contact with infected passengers.
To protect others onboard, once a sick person is identified, contact tracing can be enabled to locate, test, and potentially quarantine people at risk of infection due to their previous proximity to a known infected person. Contact tracing also identifies locations onboard where an infected person spent time so those areas can receive extra sanitization.
"This solution helps in a lot of ways, so cruise lines will be able to monitor, do contact tracing and minimize visits to the medical center since people can chat or have a video consultation with a doctor," said Roger Blum of Cruise & Port Advisors, which represents netTALK Maritime to the cruise industry. "This could also allow virtual consultations for people who have non-COVID issues, such as a cut, reducing their potential exposure at a medical center waiting room."
Before the cruise industry can return to previous operations and capacity levels, health concerns must be addressed. The cruising public must feel confident and reassured before they risk their vacation time, money, and health on a cruise, and the netTALK MARITIME Health Services solution makes that level of confidence achievable.
