Telemedicine for the international space station

The medical care for the integrated crew of the International Space Station (ISS) will require close co-operation between the partner agencies in the areas of selection, medical surveillance, countermeasures, and handling of acute medical problems. Based on a commonly accepted policy of shared care and responsibilities medical guidelines, procedures, and standards for medical data and communication need to be harmonised under the responsibility of the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP). A supporting telemedical network connecting the partners on an organisational and technical level will facilitate the harmonisation process and provide new tools for effective co-operation between medical professionals. Earth bound projects with similar application areas can profit from and contribute to this development and need to be considered for efficient implementation and exploitation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. Ail rights reserved.