And though they must be deemed healthy enough for space travel, sometimes things happen when they’re on a mission.
Add to it the fact that low-gravity environments have effects on circulation and respiratory health, and it’s clear that there must be ways of addressing medical issues of astronauts in space.
As long ago as 1964, NASA used telemetry systems and earthbound doctors to not only monitor biometric data from astronauts and their environment, but also to be able to guide basic medical treatment by non-physicians in the space environment.
Early space missions, of course, were brief, lasting a week or two at most. But with the creation of the International Space Station (ISS), the length of time astronauts could spend in space increased greatly, with some astronauts spending months at a time in a low-gravity environment. With longer-term missions came the need for well-planned telemedicine services to ensure the health of the astronaut corps.
Medical Care for Long Term Space Missions
Starting in 2001, with the Expedition One launch to the ISS, NASA has worked with a Human Health and Performance team to plan and provide medical care to space station crews. With teams of astronauts sometimes staying on the ISS for up to a year, their access to medical care is critical, since the combination of low gravity, altered daily routines, and the deconditioning that accompanies long space missions can lead to situations where medical support is required.
Telemedicine – the practice of providing medical diagnosis and care over long distances through remote communication methods – is at the heart of taking care of space station crews. Not only do the lessons learned from providing telemedicine to crews on the ISS help with future space missions, they also help with providing telemedicine services to remote locations back on earth.
Planning and Training Are Essential
Medical requirements for each ISS mission are unique, and they are carefully defined before the mission. NASA’s ground team of medical professionals (which includes doctors, nurses, engineers, psychologists, and imaging specialists) plans medical support for the mission, considering the factors of that particular mission that will influence the medical needs of the crew, factors like mission duration, and provision of acute care to crew members. Medicines, instruments, exercise equipment, and other devices are sent with astronauts, and the communication system allows the medical team on the ground to share medical information, biometric data, and other information so that crews remain as healthy as possible.
As with All Telemedicine, Communication Is Key
Excellent communication is essential to the delivery of telemedicine services, whether it’s for someone on the International Space Station or for a Medicare recipient who lives in a rural area without many transportation options. Practice based on theoretical scenarios help both ISS crews and ground medical crews develop protocols for delivering care remotely.
Another key to successfully delivering medical care to space crews is having a reliable, secure communication link, and this is just as true for doctors delivering telemedicine services to ordinary patients back on earth. Fortunately, the hardware and software for ensuring fast, secure communications is a relatively mature technology, making the technical aspects of providing telemedicine widely available.
Aside from the technicalities involved with providing remote communication, the human factor is critical. Though with telemedicine, the provider isn’t in the same physical space as the patient, bedside manner is still important. The human connection is as important in telemedicine as it is with in-person medicine.
Taking Lessons from Space to Other Challenging Healthcare Environments
While some telemedicine scenarios are straightforward and non-emergent, others are complex and may require fast action on the part of the providers involved. For example, emergency telemedicine processes that involve a local emergency doctor and a remote specialist can be remarkably successful when the technology is reliable and the doctors’ communication skills are excellent.
The lessons that come from providing telemedicine services to astronauts on the ISS can be carried over into telemedicine in other especially challenging environments. For example, researchers in Antarctica during the time of year when flights can’t get in or out may require medical care, and telemedicine is the logical way for them to receive it.
“Practicing” medicine does, after all, require actual practice, and the space program offers unique challenges that aren’t found elsewhere in medicine. Though the challenges of space travel may not be duplicated on earth, successful delivery of telemedicine in space is more proof of concept showing that effective medical care can be delivered at a distance – even an extremely long distance.
Rare Bipartisan Agreement on Telemedicine
As politically divided as national politics in the United States is in 2017, telemedicine is one topic that has managed to build a bridge between both sides of the metaphorical aisle. That’s because of the extensive knowledge base that is constantly being updated showing that telemedicine works. Not only does it provide convenient access to people who might not otherwise have access to care, it has the potential to save money, and both political parties can get behind that concept.
As just one example, a single program in Mississippi monitoring 100 diabetics managed to save Medicaid $300,000 in only six months. It’s not hard to extrapolate out to larger populations and realize the potential for savings in terms of better health outcomes and fewer hospitalizations.
Emergency Care and Telemedicine: A Surprisingly Smart Partnership
Clearly, there are some aspects of medical services that can’t be provided except with hands-on care, but the number of medical procedures that are appropriate for telemedicine is larger than you may think. For example, emergency medical care is often hands-on, because doctors are often involved in mending physical injuries, which can’t really be done through telemedicine.
If, say, a pediatric cardiologist is needed for a patient in a rural, remote location, telemedicine can provide the virtual presence of one instantly, often working with on-site emergency physicians to deliver services and frequently preventing the need for expensive and risky transfers to advanced facilities.
Though telemedicine may not be used as often in emergency departments, when it is used, it can have a disproportionately beneficial effect on patients as well as the economics of the situation. The same is true of telemedicine provided to astronauts. If a mission can avoid being curtailed or canceled due to successful delivery of medical help to an astronaut with a medical problem, far less disruption occurs. So far, telemedicine delivered to astronauts has proven effective, and this is encouraging news indeed for the everyday telemedicine patient on the ground.
If you’re interested in learning more about the exciting field of telemedicine or other popular health topics, we invite you to browse through our blog content.
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