New Vikand tools give instant crew well-being insights, foster proactive healthcare

These tools — which spring from recent partnerships with tech companies Scoutbase and Riverr —  'can help us move from a very reactive healthcare crisis management approach to a proactive, more predictive approach,' Vikand CEO Peter Hult told Seatrade Cruise News. He said the traditional reactive approach carries greater risk for seafarers and is more costly for cruise lines.

According to Hult, with the new tools, 'You can improve seafarers' lives and improve commercial viability by avoiding cost.' 

Scoutbase and Riverr partnerships

Florida-based Vikand teamed with Scoutbase, a Danish tech company, to automatically collect anonymous feedback from seafarers and Riverr, a Singapore-based AI start-up, to provide advanced, predictive AI.

Integrating Scoutbase's safety and well-being tools into Vikand's healthcare technology will give cruise operators a better understanding of the real-time challenges faced by their crew, Hult said. This will help Vikand model a prescriptive approach for lines to improve working conditions 'continuously and proactively.'

More feedback, instantly

Often when fleet management teams connect with ships, they only hear from the master and other senior officers. And while lines may use surveys or online tools like SurveyMonkey to get crew input, these can be time-consuming processes that take weeks or months to analyze and act on.

Hult said Vikand's Scoutbase technology can get broad, real-time feedback, boost crew engagement and help lines act quickly to make changes and measure progress.

Here's how it works: When crew members log on to ship Wi-Fi, they'll occasionally — once or twice a week — get a question seeking their response. It could ask whether they're getting enough sleep or if they know anyone who isn't feeling good from a mental health perspective. The crew member can click on a selection of responses and also type in comments.

Their feedback is anonymous.

According to Hult, such polling has a 90% response rate, and 60% or so of crew provide additional comments.

In an example of how such crew polling worked at Shell, a giant ship charterer, the company had only anecdotal information about unhappiness with mattresses that impacted sleep quality and, potentially, safety. Thanks to polling, Shell found this complaint truly was widespread and replaced mattresses on hundreds of ships.

Nudging

The tool also enables nudging, which can influence positive behavior and have a 'massive psychological impact,' Hult said. For example, a cruise line CEO could send a short message to crew, telling them they're appreciated and 'We really like what you do in engaging with guests' and encouraging some type of action.

Vikand's technology also gives crew the ability, if they're not feeling well, to directly access the company's Maritime Assistance Program, which supports mental wellness, with access to a shoreside support team that includes maritime-specialized psychologists.

There's also a sexual assault and sexual harassment component that allows anonymous reporting.

Riverr's predictive AI

Building on Vikand's partnership with Scoutbase for data collection, the Riverr partnership 'completes the circle of continuously monitoring seafarers’ welfare and taking proactive action when required,' Hult said.

By analyzing individual health data such as pre-employment medical exams, shipboard medical records, wearables and so forth, Riverr AI can identify potential health risks early on. Hult explained this allows for preventive measures and interventions, ultimately leading to fewer medical emergencies and improved crew well-being. 

Such a proactive approach not only benefits individual crew, enabling timely and targeted interventions to ensure their well-being, it also helps cruise lines by predicting potential health crises before they occur, leading to fewer costly medical evacuations, Hult said.

This includes early identification of mental health risks through AI analysis, combined with Vikand's expertise, to improve crew morale and reduce the risk of mental health emergencies at sea.

According to Vikand, the ultimate aim is to create a collaborative health ecosystem that results in a preventive healthcare model that saves ship operators money and builds a safer onboard environment while making crew feel valued and appreciated.

July 30 webinar

Vikand plans a webinar detailing its new tools on July 30 at 9 a.m. EDT. The webinar is open to anyone interested in health systems quality assurance and, according to Hult, six cruise lines have already registered.