Risk factors for merchant seafarer repatriation due to injury or illness at sea

Repatriation represents a serious outcome of illness or injury among seafarers at sea. The aim of this study was to describe repatriation patterns due to injury and illness in a seafarer cohort, and determine risk factors for repatriation. The study analysed a telemedicine database of 3,921 seafarer injury and illness cases over a 4 year period using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. There were 61 repatriations over the study period (1.6% of cases). Most repatriations were due to illness (38; 62.3%) as opposed to injury (23; 37.7%). Back injuries and gastrointestinal illness were the most frequent causes of repatriations. Using logistic regression, nationality was identified as a significant risk factor for repatriation. This study emphasizes illness as a major cause of seafarer repatriation, and suggests opportunities for future studies to identify potentially modifiable risk factors.