The National Transportation Safety Board makes the following recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard:
- Modify Form 719K (Merchant Mariner Physical Examination Report) to elicit specific information about any previous diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea and about the presence of specific risk factors for that disorder.
- Implement a program to identify licensed mariners subject to the Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular on Medical and Physical Evaluation Guidelines for Merchant Mariner Credentials (NVIC 04-08) and who are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea, and require that those mariners provide evidence through the medical certification process of having been appropriately evaluated and, if treatment is needed, effectively treated for that disorder before being granted unrestricted medical certification.
- Develop and disseminate guidance for mariners, employers, and physicians regarding the identification and treatment of individuals at high risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), emphasizing that mariners who have OSA that is effectively treated are routinely approved for continued medical certification.
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/Sleep News — Sleep Awareness/ntsb-says-mariners-need-sleep-apnea-testing/2009-10-20.1623
/Sleep News — Sleep Awareness/ntsb-says-mariners-need-sleep-apnea-testing/2009-10-20.1623
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