Designated Aviation Medicine Examiner/Designated
Aviation Ophthalmologist
DAME Newsletter April 2001
Acknowledgement
Distribution
Administrative matters
Appointment of Deputy PMO
ICAO Rules on Nationality
NPRM for CASR Part 67 imminent
Systems Manager
Problems and Suggestions (Steel Magnolias)
Your Questions & Answers
Greetings from Netty
Feedback
Acknowledgment
DAMEs / DAOs should confirm receipt of this Newsletter, noting their DAME stamp number, per return e-mail to dame.liaison@casa.gov.au. Alternatively, please fax confirmation of its receipt to CASA AvMed at (02) 6217 1640, again inserting your DAME stamp number on the reply.
Distribution
DAMEs / DAOs should read and digest the contents of the Newsletter, retain it for future reference, and make relevant sections of it available to locums or to other staff members who have dealings with CASA on behalf of practice principals AvMed receives many unnecessary telephone calls from DAMEs’ staff who have not been informed of the contents of recent Newsletters and who thus are unaware of changed requirements re stationery orders etc.
Administrative matters
The DAME Liaison Officer has wasted considerable time in receiving and responding to stationery orders received via fax and post. One of the many reasons CASA decided to outsource their supply was to free the DAME Liaison Office for other tasks of DAME support. Aviation Medicine concludes that some DAMEs / DAOs have not passed on to staff the information previously provided on supply of forms. Please note and pass on the following facts.
CASA and McMillans do not supply address labels.
McMillans has to date directly delivered 1330 Units of Form 97 (Renewal) and 1575 Units of Form 98 (Original) to DAMEs, plus numbers of Form 99 (Eye Examination) directly to DAOs Aviation Medicine has been informed of only three cases where any delay in supply has occurred and of only one case of a doctor having to turn away an applicant because of the lack of forms.
DAMEs / DAOs are now expected to manage their stock levels. In doing so they should be aware that print runs by McMillans will be scheduled whenever the minimum shelf stock reaches 100 units (1000 forms), thus avoiding any future out-of-print situations. Because it takes approximately 15 days for a print run, DAMEs / DAOs should maintain sufficient stock levels to cover the print run period.
CASA’s Document Controller advises that, when McMillans receive an order, you should receive the items within 5 working days, even in remote areas of Australia. Overseas orders will understandably take longer and DAMEs / DAOs should make appropriate allowance for this.
To obtain the order form, go to CASA on-line store or download an order form
AvMed has received a number of OLD FORMS since new ordering procedures were introduced. These cannot be processed and affected cases will be returned to the completing doctor for resubmission on appropriate forms. PLEASE DISPOSE OF ALL STOCKS OF THE FOLLOWING STALE FORMS. Original serial numbers less than 085001. Renewal serial numbers less than 225001.
Appointment of Deputy PMO
After a distinguished career in the RAAF, Dr David Emonson joined CASA as Deputy Principal Medical Officer on 10 April 2001. He will attend numerous DAME seminars in coming months and looks forward to renewing professional links with many former colleagues throughout Australia.
ICAO Rules on Nationality
ICAO International Standards and Recommended Practices on nationality can be found in the Eighth Edition, Annex 1, Chapter 5.1.1 Detail. The following details shall appear on the licence:
V1) Nationality of holder. Accordingly, DAMEs are reminded of CASA’s requirement that the applicant’s nationality should be recorded at Section 6 of O’ and R’ forms, under Examiner’s Comments.
NPRM for CASR Part 67 imminent
DAMEs derive their authority principally from Part 6 of Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs) (1988). This has been extensively re-written to incorporate matter omitted previously and to accord better with CASA’s needs and with current / anticipated international best practices. The new legislation will be produced as a Civil Aviation Safety Regulation (CASR) – Part 67 – a draft of which will shortly be published on CASA’s website as a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM). DAMEs’ and DAOs’ assessments of / suggestions concerning it will be welcomed.
Systems Manager
CASA’s software was recently upgraded from Office 95 to Office 2000. All CASA’s documents will henceforth be produced in the latest version of Microsoft Word and Excel.
AvMed has received a number of inquires regarding the details and timing of the conversion program to electronic form submission. The Nu-MRS Project Manager’s relevant advice on the matter is as follows.
The MRS Web Development project will deliver the capability for DAMEs to submit medical and other reports over the internet and also to receive advice on the status of the medicals that have been submitted. This project will follow on from the current MRS Enhancements project, which will deliver improvements to the current system. The Enhancements project is scheduled for delivery in July 2001, and it is expected that the Web Development will be delivered approximately 12 months thereafter.
Aviation Medicine intends to retain the capability to receive the medicals in the current way at least for the first few months after introducing the Web front end. The exact period of retaining hard copy lodgement will be determined closer to the time. Living in the real world, CASA recognises that from time to time some practice computers will go down - this is another issue, which will require future consideration. Meanwhile you can keep in touch with developments under this heading (Systems Managers) of future editions of the Newsletter.
If you have any queries or comments about this, please contact the DAME Liaison Officer by email or telephone 6217 1624.
Problems and Suggestions (Steel Magnolias)
In this segment, AvMed presents common problems and suggests solutions which have worked for other DAMEs / DAOs.
Problem: Applicants often telephone to check whether AvMed has received their medicals and other relevant paperwork. If AvMed’s answer is no, it directs them to telephone the DAME’s or DAO’s consulting rooms. The DAME or DAO then has to advise AvMed if the medical has (by then) been dispatched, but even this information is insufficient for ready tracking of the forms. CASA needs you to pin point the dispatch date. This process can be time consuming for you and your staff as well as for AvMed. And it doesn't end there - you have contact the applicant, or AvMed does, to provide a status report on where the medical etc. is.
Solution: Each DAME or DAO might consider maintaining a reference book, which records the date on which a medical or relevant paperwork was sent to CASA, and by whom it was sent. Thereafter, when AvMed or an applicant telephones, it will be easier to estimate when the paperwork should arrive at CASA. AvMed itself maintains such a book by its “inquiries” telephone, to record details of all incoming faxes and to whom they were passed. This is particularly helpful because of frequent staff changes.
Problem: AvMed receives many faxed / posted photocopied specialist reports which are of poor quality and difficult to read. This difficulty is compounded once such documents are scanned on the MRS (Medical Records System). Misinterpretation of unclear reports is distinctly possible
Solution: Remember that these are documents could be presented in a court – send only originals or good, clear copies to AvMed.
Your Questions & Answers
The DAME Handbook is updated infrequently and anyway cannot deal with all conceivable difficulties. next up date. To keep you informed and to reassure you that you are not alone, CASA will use these Newsletters as a means of responding to your questions and concerns likely to be of wider interest.
Q. What is CASAs view on the drug Zyban?
A. The potential side effects of this medication are such that it is not approved by any aviation regulatory authority for use by active aviators. CASA regards this drug as "heavy duty" and therefore is circumspect about its use by pilots. In a recent case, an ATPL who could not overcome his tobacco habit by any other means, jointly worked out a protocol with his employer’s medical department and AvMed in which the pilot took several weeks leave for the duration of the treatment course plus a further couple of weeks thereafter. He experience no side effects at all - during or after treatment. It was agreed that it would be appropriate for him to return to flying thereafter, but limited him to operation as or with co-pilot’ for the following four weeks.
An applicant seeking Zyban treatment has two acceptable alternatives at present:
- Cease flying for duration of Zyban treatment and for an adequate time thereafter, until assured of no adverse side effects: or
- Use alternative treatment modalities (patch/gum/simple willpower)
There was a considerable recent correspondence re this issue on the Aeromedical List see aeromedlist@silverquick.com
Q. What are the validity periods for certain of CASA’s specific Medical Requirements?
A. Stress ECGs continue valid for 6 months from date of test.
Flight Engineers are treated as ATPL holders, i.e. they require 6- monthly medicals after 60.
ECGs for applicants after age 40 continue valid for 3 months.
ECGs for applicants under age 40 continue valid for 6 months.
Audiograms continue valid for two years.
Ophthalmologist reports continue valid for two years.
Routine lipids and blood sugar estimations continue valid for two years.
Greetings from Netty
I was delighted to win the DAME Liaison Position in Aviation Medicine, but what a rude shock, there are so may of you out there. My apologies if I have not returned your e-mails as quickly as you expected - I assure you that I am rapidly catching up. My aim is to ensure that DAMEs / DAOs practising in remote areas of Australia and overseas are not neglected. I seek ways to improve services to you all. And most importantly, I encourage and enhance good relations with you, your staff and the aviation industry.
Netty Coan
DAME Liaison Officer
Feedback
AvMed welcomes queries and suggestions from DAMEs and DAOs at any time. Your suggestions and experiences help us to serve you and your applicants / patients better.
Peter Wilkins
Director of Aviation Medicine and Principal Medical Officer