SPE 108864

Development of a Post-Graduate Qualification Course in Telemedicine and

Telepharmacy for Physicians in Offshore Oil and Gas Industry
F. Mika, Saipem; F. Amenta, Unicam; S. De Sanctis and V. Nicosia, Saipem; and K. Tayebati and D. Tomassi, Unicam

Copyright 2007, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Asia Pacific Health, Safety, Security and
Environment Conference and Exhibition held in Bangkok, Thailand, 1012 September 2007.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of
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Abstract
Diagnosis, control and treatment of diseases in
offshore oil and gas (O&G) industry represents an
important
challenge
for
medicine
and
occupational health. More and more the
operations, particularly in the Up stream sector,
are carried out in remote and frontier areas.
Working in O&G industry environment may be
risky for the occurrence of acute medical events,
and local medical structure are often either
difficult to reach or their standards are not at the
level that guaranty the efficiency requested by
the Industry. This is why the training of medical
personnel working in remote locations represents
a crucial point for the best health protection of
workers in these areas. More over, the medical
personnel that work in our environment are
requested to be all-ologist (Medical Officer,
Hygienist, Occupational Health Specialist, General
Practitioner,
Gynaecologist,
Paediatrician,
Traumatologist, Infectious and Tropical Diseases
Specialist, Medical Emergency Specialist, Medical
Educator etc..).Unfortunately, there are no
specific university courses in this area that would
guaranty the adequate qualification. The same
stays for dedicated applications of e-health
courses, this last one becoming more and more
important for guaranteeing high level of medical
assistance in O&G industry.

Saipem, a company of Eni S.p.A., one of the

biggest contractors in Oil and Gas industry, has
more than 32.000 employees working both off
and on shore, within its organisation, as part of
the QHSE Department, the company has
developed the in-house medical department.
Presently this one is formed by 290 medical
doctors and nurses, coming form 34 different
nationalities, working at 119 operating sites. It is
obvious that these health care professionals are
coming with, and are working in, different
cultural, educational, professional back grounds.
An important opportunity for improving and
uniforming health care of people working and
living in offshore O&G industry facilities is offered
by telemedicine. The interest in applications of
communication
technologies
in
medical
interventions (e-health and telemedicine) is
growing world-wide and the use of these
technologies in oil and gas industry may
contribute to offer the best level of health
care.Practitioners working in the field of O&G ,
although
located
in
remote
areas,
via
telemedicine can have access to second and third
level specialist advice and can have a continuous
update of their medical knowledge.
In the frame of the collaboration between the
University of Camerino and Saipem, we have
developed an University Master Course in Oil and
Gas Telemedicine and Telepharmacy (MIOGATE).
MIOGATE is the first postgraduate university
course in the world in oil and gas telemedicine
and telepharmacy.
Camerino is a small town, with about 7,500
inhabitants today, located 661 meters above sea
level, in the heart of Marche, a region in the
centre of Italy. The University of Camerino
(UNICAM) is an old institution been a centre of
learning since no later than 1200.
UNICAM
involvement in e-health and telemedicine
education started since 2004, establishing a

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SPE 108864

Master course in e-health. MIOGATE will

represent the 4th postgraduate university course
organized by UNICAM in the last few years.
The mission of MIOGATE is to provide to health
professionals working in oil and gas fields or
platforms a specific training in e-health,
telemedicine, telepharmacy and their practical
applications.
The course represents a real
opportunity to achieve an academic background
and qualification for improving healthcare to
remote patients through e-health learning
process.
Courses activity is based on the attribution of a
numerical score to the single disciplines,
according to ECTS (European Credit Transfer and
accumulation System). Earning of 60 ECTS is
required to obtain the postgraduate qualification
in Oil and Gas Telemedicine and Telepharmacy.
The Course has a modular organization. It
includes 7 modules (49 ECTS; 7 ECTS/each),
practical activity: 9 ECTS and a final dissertation:
2 ECTS An oral examination should be passed
before being admitted to present and defend the
final dissertation.
For allowing postgraduate university education of
students located in remote areas, teachning
activity is organized in e-Learning courses (250
hours), completed by e-practice activity (150
hours), simulations followed on a real-time (100
hours) and own study (1,000 hours)
The syllabus of the Course includes the 7
modules listed below, articulated into 34 teaching
units:
1. e-Health without borders;
2. Telecommunication systems and their
use in transferring biological and medical data;
3. Organization of health-care systems.
Applications of telemedicine;
4. Organization, collection, handling and
use of medical data in the virtual vs. real
hospital;
5/6. Telemedicine support to medical care
in oil and gas industry (1 and 2)
7.
Medical
assistance
in
particular
situations. Role of telemedical services.
The whole course is obviously held on e-learning
platforms, except the two practical sessions
during which, according to a pre-established
scenario the management of major emergencies,
in coordination with other structures ( Local and
international) is exercised by the participants and
evaluated by the teaching staff. The final

dissertation is presented at the University in a

separate real (non virtual) session.
This first session of MIOGATE involves 9 medical
doctors all of them part of Saipems medical
team. The participation was offered by the
Company but the adherence to Master was fully
voluntary. Final acceptance to the Master was
decided by the Master directors committee in
base of candidates application, Resumes,
experiences and results acquired at graduation
course.
The teaching staff is composed of 28 professors,
some of them already UNICAM employees some
of them contracted professors, coming form 5
different nationalities world wide. All of them are
preparing their lessons, bibliography and
verification tests ( thesis or questioner) that are
than sent to UNICAM and placed on the
MIOGATEs website.
Once admitted to the master each student is
given his own access code that enables him/her
to see the learning material, answer the tests but
also to take part in chatting sessions and
discussions regarding different issues treated
within the Masters content.
In order to pass from one module to another the
student has to pass all the exams of the lessons
contained in the Module, answering in a
satisfactory way to the verifications.
Once successfully completed al the Modules, the
candidate discusses the thesis, prepared under
the supervision of the lecturer chosen among the
courses professors, in front of Masters
committee. At the end, after an undoubted
successful end of the discussion, the candidate is
given the MIOGATEs degree.
A part this first session, Saipem and UNICAM
have already programmed to carry out three
more sessions. The final goal is to give to all the
doctors who have decided to dedicate their
professional life to Oil and Gas Industry the
possibility of professional growth and satisfaction.
For their own benefit and for the one of the
industry. In this way we are sure to be able to
offer something more than a fist of dollars or
Euros to all of those who have chosen to be the
part of our O&G team, and to attract new, young
doctors showing them the way of professional
upgrade.

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SPE 108864

Last but not least, in the future MIOGATE

shall/can be offered also to local medical
personnel working or not in O&G industry
contributing thus to the sustainable development
of areas where Saipem is working.
Conclusion:
Adequate telemedical and telepharmacy (for
delivering
high
quality
pharmacological
treatments) education of physicians working in
remote locations of O&G industry can contribute
to establish standard specialist referral services,
remote patient monitoring and continuous
medical education. This will improve the quality
of medical care in remote O&G locations, will
reduce risks and costs of medical evacuations
and will contribute significantly to guarantee the
best health care of employees. It also gives to all
medical personnel a unique possibility to get the
western-type university education and give them
personal and professional motivation and
satisfaction to continue working in the O&G
industry contributing to sustainable management
of the field operations.

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