An operationally oriented approach to medical care in space

As plans to bring the United States into the realm of continuously manned space operations are written, questions concerning the medical support of those operations have been raised. A review of the simple, time-tested principles that guide military operational medicine can be applied to medical care in space. Based on this operational approach, I conclude that a successful medical team must understand the mission, identify medical resources, define medical evacuation capabilities, anticipate medical issues and plan solutions, and develop facility requirements. Once all this has been accomplished, appropriate selection and training of medical personnel completes the preparation.