Dose Tracker Application for Collecting Medication Use Data from International Space Station Crew

INTRODUCTION: There are knowledge gaps in spaceflight pharmacology with insufficient in-flight data to inform future planning. This effort directly addressed in-mission medication use and also informed open questions regarding spaceflight-associated changes in pharmacokinetics (PK) and/or pharmacodynamics (PD).METHODS: An iOS application was designed to collect medication use information relevant for research from volunteer astronaut crewmembers: medication name, dose, dosing frequency, indication, perceived efficacy, and side effects. Leveraging the limited medication choices aboard allowed a streamlined questionnaire. There were 24 subjects approved for participation.RESULTS: Six crewmembers completed flight data collection and five completed ground data collection before NASA's early study discontinuation. There were 5766 medication use entries, averaging 20.6 ± 8.4 entries per subject per flight week. Types of medications and their indications were similar to previous reports, with sleep disturbances and muscle/joint pain as primary drivers. Two subjects treated prolonged skin problems. Subjects also used the application in unanticipated ways: to note drug tolerance testing or medication holiday per research protocols, and to share data with flight surgeons. Subjects also provided usability feedback on application design and implementation.DISCUSSION: The volume of data collected (20.6 ± 8.4 entries per subject per flight week) is much greater than was collected previously (<12 per person per entire mission), despite user criticisms regarding app usability. It seems likely that improvements in a software-based questionnaire application could result in a robust data collection tool that astronauts find more acceptable, while simultaneously providing researchers and clinicians with useful data.Wotring VE, Smith LK.