Developing an international database on long-term health effects of spaceflight

Abstract

NASA's Lifetime Surveillance for Astronaut Health (LSAH) program collects health/medical data on active and retired U.S. and Canadian crew; to our knowledge, there are no parallel efforts collecting life-long data on the many international retired astronauts and cosmonauts. The long-term goal of this investigative team is to establish a secure data repository for biomedical data from international retired crew. Using current technologies like electronic personal health records (PHR) that enable the individual to collect and transmit his/her own data could contribute to more efficient collection and transmission of biomedical data to such a data repository. This feasibility study had several discrete goals: 1) collection of retired crew and other stakeholder input on issues related to collecting and archiving biomedical data; 2) selection of a candidate off-the-shelf PHR in coordination with an industry consultant and a subsequent evaluation of that PHR by retired crew; and 3) a preliminary assessment of international medical privacy law pertinent to the collection of individual citizen's biomedical data. Initial feedback received from US and international retired crew members we surveyed reflected widespread support for creating a secure database repository to house medical data from non-US/Canadian crew. Working with a health technology industry consultant, a detailed Product Requirement Document (PRD) was developed to guide selection of an off-the-shelf PHR to test with retired crew; preliminary feedback from seven retired crew responding to an evaluation survey, including Cooper-Harper ratings, provided useful feedback towards a more comprehensive evaluation in the future. Our preliminary analysis of international privacy laws identified a few potential legal issues, but likely no substantial legal barriers to collecting and using the required data for the IRC repository operation. Expanding the “n” of those retired space flyers from whom life-long biomedical data are collected is essential for protecting the health and performance of current and future crew members of all nationalities, as well as defining the long-term health consequences for retired crew members across the globe.