DAN_World_Alert_Diver_Q1_2019

Perspectives

DAN PROVIDES UNRIVALLED MEDICAL SERVICES FOR DIVERS

By Bill Ziefle

timely responses, cases that come to us through the Medical Information Line still warrant the same level of care. The medical advice we give through this service has prevented countless injuries, accidents and even fatalities. The services we provide don’t end after the first conversation. We follow up continually as we manage cases; in cases that require a patient to seek medical attention, we are with them through every step of the treatment process. If we are involved from the beginning, we can help guide first-aid providers, arrange emergency evacuations and help divers find the nearest medical facility that’s equipped to treat their injuries. We currently have more than 600 physicians in our network worldwide, which means it is easier than ever for our members to find a physician who understands the unique physiological and medical demands of diving. With every referral, DAN Medical Services puts patients in direct contact with the physicians most qualified to assess their fitness to dive or treat their dive injuries. The medical services DAN provides are unparalleled in the dive industry. Because of our response capability and the people we have taking care of these divers, DAN has built our reputation on trust. We work every day to earn and maintain that trust as we continue to refine and expand the medical services we provide, making expert care more accessible to divers anytime, anywhere. DAN members can rest assured that DAN will be there when they need us.

emergency hotline. Today our emergency hotline fields an average of 5,200 calls per year. Our expertise is not outsourced. Only DAN is fully staffed with doctors, nurses and medics trained in dive medicine. It has been this way since the organisation’s inception, and we are committed to keeping it this way. DAN Medical Services staff members are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year: Without physically touching patients, they save lives through vital medical information and assistance services. Through DAN’s nonemergency Medical Information Line, our staff members answer an average of 8,000 additional phone calls and 2,300 emails each year. DAN established this Medical Information Line just one year after the creation of the emergency hotline to free up phone lines for emergency cases. While emergency cases require more

If you are involved in an accident that threatens your life, the last thing you want is for those you call on for help to make inappropriate recommendations or fail to recognise the severity of your symptoms. At DAN, our staff is more familiar with dive injuries than just about anyone else in the world. Whether you are calling our emergency hotline, seeking medical information about diving or need help finding a local expert, we answer, and we provide the most practical, relevant and up-to- date information. Our commitment to providing divers with the utmost care is what sets DAN apart from the rest. For almost 40 years divers around the world have trusted DAN to be there when they have a dive accident – because we have been there. DAN is the only dive safety organisation with an in-house 24/7

The Divers Alert Network (DAN) is a not-for-profit, member-based organisation dedicated to the advancement of diving safety through education, funding and/or manning 24-hour diving emergency hotlines, the provision of worldwide emergency evacuation and optional dive injury treatment coverage, accident management training, and undertaking data collection and research.

Dive safely,

Engage with DAN on Facebook for insights into various dive safety and medical issues. Search “Divers Alert Network” Connect

Bill Ziefle, President DAN (Divers Alert Network)

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