South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society
Encyclopedia
The South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society (SPUMS) is a primary source of information for diving
and hyperbaric medicine physiology worldwide.
of HMAS PENGUIN
. The founding members of SPUMS were Carl Edmonds, Bob Thomas, Douglas Walker, Ian Unsworth, and Cedric Deal and they were joined by approximately 20 others as "charter members". The society was incorporated
in 1990.
was published by Dr. Carl Edmonds and distributed to diving medical professionals. This newsletter grew to become the Journal of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society in 1975. The journal's name was changed to Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine in 2007 and incorporated the Journal of the European Underwater and Baromedical Society in 2008. The journal contains Original and Review Articles, case series
and reports
, educational and general interest material in the form of:
Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine is ISI-indexed on SCIE and indexed on EMBASE.
SPUMS also publishes many policies to assist clinicians and diving professionals.
Many of the SPUMS publications are available online at the Rubicon Research Repository
.
Diving medicine
Diving medicine, also called undersea and hyperbaric medicine , is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of conditions caused by humans entering the undersea environment...
and hyperbaric medicine physiology worldwide.
History
The SPUMS was founded on May 3, 1971 in the wardroomWardroom
The wardroom is the mess-cabin of naval commissioned officers above the rank of Midshipman. The term the wardroom is also used to refer to those individuals with the right to occupy that wardroom, meaning "the officers of the wardroom"....
of HMAS PENGUIN
HMAS Penguin (naval base)
HMAS Penguin is a shore establishment of the Royal Australian Navy located at Balmoral on the shore of Sydney Harbour in the suburb of Mosman, New South Wales...
. The founding members of SPUMS were Carl Edmonds, Bob Thomas, Douglas Walker, Ian Unsworth, and Cedric Deal and they were joined by approximately 20 others as "charter members". The society was incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
in 1990.
Purpose
The aims of SPUMS have never changed since its inception:- To promote and facilitate the study of all aspects of underwater and hyperbaric medicine;
- To provide informationInformationInformation in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
on underwater and hyperbaric medicine; - To publish a journalMedical journalA public health journal is a scientific journal devoted to the field of public health, including epidemiology, biostatistics, and health care . Public health journals, like most scientific journals, are peer-reviewed...
and; - To convene members of each Society annually at a scientific conferenceAcademic conferenceAn academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
.
Training
SPUMS offers a Diploma of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine. This certification, was the first non-naval certification and for years the only postgraduate education available. The first Diplomas by examination were awarded to Chris Acott, Gavin Dawson, and John Knight in 1975.Publications
In 1971, a newsletterNewsletter
A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. Additionally, newsletters delivered electronically via email have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in...
was published by Dr. Carl Edmonds and distributed to diving medical professionals. This newsletter grew to become the Journal of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society in 1975. The journal's name was changed to Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine in 2007 and incorporated the Journal of the European Underwater and Baromedical Society in 2008. The journal contains Original and Review Articles, case series
Case series
A case series is a medical research descriptive study that tracks patients with a known exposure given similar treatment or examines their medical records for exposure and outcome. It can be retrospective or prospective and usually involves a smaller number of patients than more powerful...
and reports
Case report
In medicine, a case report is a detailed report of the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of an individual patient. Case reports may contain a demographic profile of the patient, but usually describe an unusual or novel occurrence....
, educational and general interest material in the form of:
- The diving doctor’s diary;
- The world as it is;
- Critical appraisals (CATs) and Cochrane reviewsCochrane CollaborationThe Cochrane Collaboration is a group of over 28,000 volunteers in more than 100 countries who review the effects of health care interventions tested in biomedical randomized controlled trials. A few more recent reviews have also studied the results of non-randomized, observational studies...
; - Opinion papers and Commentaries;
- Reprints of full Articles and Abstracts from the literatureMedical journalA public health journal is a scientific journal devoted to the field of public health, including epidemiology, biostatistics, and health care . Public health journals, like most scientific journals, are peer-reviewed...
; - Letters to the Editor;
- Book reviews;
- Society News & Notices.
Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine is ISI-indexed on SCIE and indexed on EMBASE.
SPUMS also publishes many policies to assist clinicians and diving professionals.
Many of the SPUMS publications are available online at the Rubicon Research Repository
Rubicon Foundation
Rubicon Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization devoted to contributing to the interdependent dynamic between research, exploration, science and education. The foundation, started in 2002, is located in Durham, North Carolina and is primarily supported by donations and grants. Funding has...
.