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Hi Simon,
There certainly should be a demand.
For me, a good medical course such as you are describing is essential preparation to wandering at sea. There are skills one expects to use: piloting and navigation. And there are skills one hopes never to exercise: MOB and medical skills for two. My observation from 40 years of cruising 13 of them full time live aboard, is that the skills one hopes never to use get woefully neglected.
An abbreviated course might be considered for those whose intentions are local sailing (coastal cruising) where help is generally ready at hand and the necessary skills are of the First Responder/EMS variety.
Those venturing on passages, have an obligation to themselves and their crew (at least to my mind) to have significant skills in this area of medical evaluation and intervention, regularly updated.
And I would go a step further than wondering whether there is demand by pushing a little harder and suggesting that those skippers (and crew) venturing on passages do a two-day course and that coastal cruisers have a one-day course in the medical skills necessary for evaluation and intervention commensurate with the availability of land based medical facilities. This (and refresher activities) I consider minimum levels for skippers to go to sea.
I have watched (and read a number) of the books generated for sailors and none check the boxes better (for me) than Jeff Isaac’s book(s). His particular approach seems well suited to the practical issues faced by those with a medical emergency at sea. He also is a superb instructor which I know first-hand as he gives a 2/3 day course under the umbrella on Offshore Navigator magazine.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
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