Medical Kits For Business Travellers

A survey of occupational physicians of the Food Industry MedicalOfficers Group was undertaken to establish details of medicalkits supplied by their organizations to business travellers.The most common approach was an in-house medical kit with instructionsemphasizing self treatment of the common ailments of travellerssuch as motion sickness, sleeplessness, diarrhoea, indigestionand headaches. The majority of kits included a small supplyof needles, syringes, IV cannulae etc either in a commercial‘;Aids Kit’ or as inhouse supplies. Antimalarialswere provided either as a standard kit item or as required.About half provided antibiotics for the self treatment of infections.Very few provided a telephone number for use in the event ofmedical emergencies. A standard medical kit specification isproposed. Requests for reprints should be addressed to: Dr S.P. Deacon, Corporate Health and Safety, Kellogg Company of GB Ltd, Stretford, Manchester M32 8RA. U.K.