Medical questionaire

[ERIC.K]

Suppose a healthy diver has been recently diagnosed with say.....hypertension and is currently being succesfully treated for said hypertension, and has been given complete permission by a cardiologist to continue diving. With that said, when this diver flies across the Globe to exotic locale and is denied diving priveleges due in part to answering yes to a High blood pressure question on a medical questionaire despite being released by a MD to dive. Is it then not surprising to most that a diver might not devulge his or her complete medical information on that questionaire? My point is, after being released by a Physician does this give a dive master authority to deny a diver to dive, can a dive master still deny a diver with a medical release provided by and signed by the MD? and if a diver is denied privleges to dive at a dive shop say in the Florida Keys, would he simply drive down the road and sign up at that dive shop and then fail to give a complete medical history of himself in order to dive? this is clearly a liability issue, can a dive master, whom in years past have been held responsible for diver deaths decide who he is comfortable diving with and in turn refuse to allow a diver to dive? Does a dive master know enough about human anatomy and the cardiovascular system to make an informed decision to allow or disallow a diver who has been cleared by his doctor to dive? I've read quite alot of post reguarding diver deaths on this board and wonder how many of them might have "fibbed" about their medical histories, I also know that if a diver with a cardiac problem does suffer some type of diving accident in which CPR has to be performed, one would perform CPR on him or her the same way despite a known of unknown cardiac problem.....So why the medical questionaire?-

 

[ERIC.K]

Sorry, this should have been posted under diving medicine

 

[alcina]

Now it is

 

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

I would imagine that dive operators have full authority to deny the right to dive to anyone who they perceive as a risk. Moreover, in other countries, things like anti-discrimination laws and "rights" don't carry the weight they do in the US.

That said...

The only person hurt by lying on the form is the diver, since such deception will hinder any future legal claim in the event of an accident. In essence, by answering no to everything you are shifting the liability from them to you, at least in principle. What they don't know they can't be held responsible for.

Question: is the release by the cardiologist simply a letter stating that it's OK to dive, or is it an official release? By official, I recall that when I certified with PADI, any "yes" question had to have a release by a physician on an official form in which the physician stated the he/she was familiar with dive medicine and yada yada. A simple note saying "it's OK for Johnny to go diving" was NOT sufficient.

Most of the questions on these forms, like "do you have a relative with heart disease" are meaningless for assessing the risk of most divers (does a 25 year old diver whose 55 year old dad had a heart attack really need medical clearance?).

The dive shops I've used usually ask only one question: have you suffered or been diagnosed with any major medical illness SINCE you've been certified? That should be sufficient.

Or, better yet, an option should be the following:

" I decline to state any personal medical history and, in doing so, release the operator from any liability for my safety in the event of a medical emergency." Most of the permission forms contain a statement indemnifying them for almost anything anyway, so why should they care how healthy you are?

If operators stop taking divers with hypertension, particularly big-tipping Americans, they might as well start looking for new lines of work right now...

 

[knotical]

The Medical Statement on this page:
http://www.wrstc.com/downloads.php
includes the medical questionnaire for divers used by many agencies, guidelines for the physician, and a physician’s “release” form.

A prudent traveling diver should contact the dive operator in advance of travel, to see what they require. If appropriate, bring the physician’s release on the trip, with a copy to leave with the operator. If the dive operator won’t take a diver with controlled hypertension and a current medical release, it’s best to know that in advance.

Some divers lie on the questionnaire, but usually because they haven’t bothered to get a physician’s release in a format acceptable to the dive operator.

Using such tools helps protect the diver from unsafe activity and the operator from liability.

 

[Cacia]

I don't tell them anything.

It is none of their business.

It is the silliest thing I have seen in 30 years of diving...okay 35.

I cannot believe how many reasonable people don't see this...

Think of analogous situations in society...there really aren't any. The funny thing is,

diving is really only risking yourself, as compared to 95% of other activities. Do they

do this to you if you rent a plane?...which you could fly into a building and kill

hundreds? No....Scuba Industry is a bit full of itself, taking this one on if you ask me. It is the nanny mentality.

I can see the initial physical, just in case the individual has a condition he

is unaware of...after that, there is just no way scuba instructors need to be

trying to interpret people's diagnoses. This one just makes me nuts.

Our society lets people come across the border and drive tractor trailers on the

Interstate, for Pete's sake....and you want to start this?

I would imagine that dive operators have full authority to deny the right to dive to anyone who they perceive as a risk.

but...I have full authority to draw a line through the boxes and write "no".

and removing them from liabilty, is the right thing to do. This one is crystal clear for me.

 

[fisherdvm]

A release from a doctor doesn't mean anything, it just mean you can sue the doctor for writing the release. "You shouldn't have let me dive... if I had this"....

I was working in occupational medicine, and received rediculous releases from doctors. Its not the doctor's fault, the patient sometime demands releases and restriction for what they desired.

If a person really wants to be a man, go ahead and dive. Lies if you have to. Take the responsibility by yourself, and not put the blame on your doctor, scuba instructor, or the dive boat for it.

With too many lawyers sueing everyone, I can understand why scuba instructors and diveshops have health questionaires... Keep the lawyers from knocking at your door.

 

[Cacia]

...I think they actually have more liabilty once it becomes "standard" for them to be diciphering information they have no understanding of....

I used to handle a lot of medical liabilty issues as nursing director for a large ambulance company. This whole thing is not driven by anything remotely sound, IMV.

 

[carolrose]

I have asthma, and I would not disclose this on a medical questionaire on a boat etc. I would to a regular instructor or buddy with whom I would be establishing some type of trust relationship. Prior to beginning diving, I took an objective look at my medical history with my regular asthma doc, and got checked out by a DAN recommended doc as well. Both cleared me to dive, since my asthma is extremely well controlled (I have never had an attack), and the factors associated with diving are not likely to be risk factors for me. By doing this, I feel that I have met the standard of necessary care and judgement of risk associated, and I am willing to accept the consequences of the decision I have made. That being said, I am not willing to allow someone else to hear the word 'asthma' and make a judgement for me just because they need to cover their *****.

 

[Divingdon]

I The funny thing is,

diving is really only risking yourself

So you wouldn't be risking your buddy then???

As an instructor I've had to tell people that they cannot dive with me due to answering yes on medical forms. With all the legal action that could be taken against me, why should I risk my livelyhood?

If you lie on a medical statement, it means that you are putting yourself at even more risk, as if something does happen the dive company knows nothing about your condition.