Design of a clinical data-collection form for remote health care

A clinical data-collection form was designed for use in the consultation process between an astronaut and Earth. It can also be applied in most remote health-care settings. The form was tested by non-medically trained individuals in 101 simulated and 19 real cases. A completion rate of 88% was achieved, with a diagnostic accuracy of 85%. This compares favourably with studies by other workers in the field of medical decision support. Space telemedicine research will contribute to developments that will benefit not only space activities but also terrestrial applications.