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. 2025 May 2;15(5):e090993.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-090993.

MultiAgency, prospective, exploratory, non-intervention, cohort Study on Human Impact Exposure oNboard high-speed boats (MASHIEN): protocol

Johan Ullman  1   2 , Stephen D Myers  3 , Kai-Thorsten Bretschneider  4 , Karen R Kelly  5 , Yann Daniel  6 , Victor Hurpin  7 , Justus Kaehler  4 , Jan Ivar Kåsin  8 , Knut Hveding  9 , Neil Mansfield  10 , Spyros D Masouros  11 , Daniel Perl  12 , Nicole Wijnands  13 , Isabelle Vallee  14 , Veerle Stevens  15 , John J Fraser  16   17 , Ola Rolfson  2 , Yohan Robinson  1   2   18   19
Affiliations

MultiAgency, prospective, exploratory, non-intervention, cohort Study on Human Impact Exposure oNboard high-speed boats (MASHIEN): protocol

Johan Ullman et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Introduction: High-speed boat operations expose personnel to slamming-induced impacts, which can lead to musculoskeletal injuries and cognitive impairments. Despite existing safety measures, regulations and protocols, the risk of injuries remains significant. The MultiAgency, prospective, exploratory, non-intervention, cohort Study on Human Impact Exposure oNboard high-speed boats study aims to investigate the nature and magnitude of these impacts, their acute and long-term health effects, and potential injury prevention strategies to improve operational safety and performance.

Methods and analysis: This is an ongoing multicentre, prospective, non-intervention, observational cohort study. The first participant was enrolled on 23 August 2024. High-speed boat operators log self-reported pain data via a smartphone app, using a Visual Analogue Scale and pain drawings. Triaxial accelerometers are installed on boat hulls and worn by participants to measure impact exposure. Data analysis assesses correlations between exposure and reported pain, enabling the identification of risk factors and the development of safety guidelines for high-speed boat operations.

Ethics and dissemination: The study has received ethical approval from the relevant ethics committees, including the Swedish Ethics Review Authority (no. 2022-04931-01). All participants will provide informed consent before enrolment. The findings will be disseminated through technical reports, articles in peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and direct engagement with military and maritime stakeholders to enhance training protocols and safety measures.

Trial registration number: NCT05299736.

Keywords: Adult orthopaedics; Back pain; OCCUPATIONAL & INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE; Orthopaedic sports trauma; Risk management.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: Members of one of the authors’ (JU) family has ownership of Ullman Dynamics, which develops and produces marine suspension seats. JU has no ownership and has not received any payments from Ullman Dynamics. This author certifies no receipt of personal payments or benefits from Ullman Dynamics. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. The PainDrawing application allows registering individual pain levels using the Visual Analogue Scale and a standardised pain drawing for pain location and characteristics.
Figure 2
Figure 2. On the left is a photograph of the MAREC device and related connections and on the right the kidney belt containing a three-axis accelerometer worn by the participating operators.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Example of the impact exposure data generated by the MAREC. The above example shows the time (400 s) on the x-axis. On the left y-axis is acceleration measured in g=9.81 m/s2, with red for the operator and blue for the boat hull, and on the right y-axis is the boat speed measured in knots shown by the green line. SOG, speed over ground.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Flow of exposure data and pain data. All agencies will have access to the exposure data they have submitted to the MultiAgency, prospective, exploratory, non-intervention, cohort Study on Human Impact Exposure oNboard high-speed boats (MASHIEN) Database and to the anonymised pain data from their units. Agencies wishing to also save anonymised pain data locally may set up local databases for this purpose. GPS, Global Positioning System. MAREC SW, MAREC accelerometer recorder software.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Allen DP, Taunton DJ, Allen R. A study of shock impacts and vibration dose values onboard high-speed marine craft. Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects Part A: International Journal of Maritime Engineering. 2008;150:1–10.
    1. Ensign W, Hodgdon JA, Prusaczyk WK, et al. A Survey of Self-Reported Injuries among Special Boat Operators. San Diego, CA: Naval Health Research Center; 2000.
    1. Priemer DS, Iacono D, Rhodes CH, et al. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in the Brains of Military Personnel. N Engl J Med. 2022;386:2169–77. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2203199. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ullman CJ, Hengst D, Rolfson O, et al. Systematic Review of Injuries and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Among High-speed Boat Operators. Mil Med. 2024;189:e573–80. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usad377. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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