The role of smart medical systems in the Space Station

NASA is developing a Health Maintenance Facility to provide medical equipment and supplies requisite for the Space Station to be launched in the late 1990s. An essential component of this medical facility is a computerized Medical Decision Support System which will expedite medical officers' efforts to maintain the crew's health. The computerized system includes four major functions: 1. A data collection and storage system with a self-contained medical expert scheme for performing treatment protocols. The expert system has 'data driven' and 'time driven' capabilities to facilitate automatic decision-making functions. 2. An integrated medical record and medical 'reference' information management component. 3. An inventory management system for medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. 4. Video, audio, and data communications between the medical officer in the Space Station and ground-based medical personnel. This paper discusses the design of such computerized data collection, communications and expert medical systems as will be developed for use in a Space Station Health Maintenance Facility.