Challenges in Remote Healthcare Find Common Ground in Space
Brad Andrews, Challenge Prize Fellow, Canadian Space Agency
“So when are you going to the moon?” is usually the first question I get when I tell people that I’ve started a fellowship placement with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The next, more insightful question is typically: “shouldn’t we be focused on solving problems here on Earth before we spend time in space?”
My name is Brad Andrews, a Challenge Prize Fellow with Impact Canada, and I’ll be honest, this is the same question I had when I was first presented with the opportunity to support the Space Agency’s work. When I applied to Impact Canada’s Fellowship program, I envisioned having an opportunity to leverage innovative policy tools to drive real change for some of society’s most pressing problems — sending people to Mars felt like a low priority when compared to issues such as food security or income inequality. What I’ve come to learn, however, is that the CSA is just as excited about improving the lives of Earthlings as I am, and that there are significant areas of intersection between the needs on Earth and in space.
As ambitions for space exploration grow, and we look to send astronauts beyond Earth’s orbit and out to the moon and Mars, mission complexity increases significantly, especially when considering the health of these astronauts.
What happens if a crew member gets sick in month 4 of their 7 month journey to Mars?
Current healthcare systems for astronauts on the International Space Station are largely Earth-based, with expert advice readily available, resupply trips arriving regularly, and emergency evacuation an ever-present backup. As missions move deeper into space and flight times increase, these resources all but disappear. On a trip to Mars, there is no option for resupply, there is no turning back in case of emergency, and communication with experts is limited by a delay of up to 40 minutes. In essence, care is provided by generally trained crew members with minimal resources and limited communications in harsh environments. Sound familiar?
A very similar scenario is currently playing out across Canada in remote and northern communities. Remote healthcare practitioners, while extremely skilled, are often limited by their scope of practice, access to diagnostic tools and unreliable communications. Medical evacuations play a significant role in the health of these communities, but in some regions this process can take days, and separates the patient from much needed family and community supports. This is yet another contributing factor in the significant health inequalities experienced by these communities when compared to more urban centres. These medically isolated communities need tools and resources that increase their autonomy, allowing them to take more ownership and control of their health. This is where the CSA can help to play an important role.
While there are some distinct differences between the situations faced by astronauts and Canadians in remote communities, there are also some significant similarities, both in the health issues they face, and the technologies that could support in their detection, diagnosis and treatment. The Health Beyond initiative is exploring how the CSA can leverage these similarities, along with the fascination and draw of space exploration, to catalyze a transformation in remote healthcare. The initiative views the challenges of remote communities not as a problem that space technology could solve down the road, but one that it should help to solve now.
This approach of building terrestrial solutions that can eventually be used in space is somewhat new for the CSA, but is one that lends itself well to the use of a challenge prize. Remote healthcare systems are complex and non-linear, and issues cannot be solved in a step-wise fashion. We know what the problem looks like, but the solutions aren’t necessarily clear. By providing a prize and a target for innovators to strive towards, we can crowd-in ideas and catalyze a market that lacks a strong natural incentive.
The mere idea of space is a natural incentive in and of itself. There is a certain excitement and enthusiasm that comes with the sector, not to mention the prestige that is attached to developing solutions for the moon. The CSA’s recent Deep Space Food Challenge, for example, has generated significant interest in just the few short weeks after its launch. In addition to this natural incentive, space can provide constraints for innovators that are oftentimes lacking in terrestrial applications. These constraints can help to sharpen the focus for problem solving, accelerating the pace of growth. The CSA is now exploring how it can use these constraints to spur rapid growth in remote healthcare technologies. This will not only provide solutions for Canadians here and now, but will provide a pipeline of innovations that can contribute to deep space exploration in the future.
Challenge prizes can be excellent tools for shining a spotlight on high priority initiatives. By combining this light with the inspiration that comes from space exploration, and shining it on the inequalities that exist right here in Canada, we can catalyze change on many fronts.
So should we be focused on solving problems here on Earth?
Yes, I think we should, as Earth and Space are not mutually exclusive. We as Canadians can deal with health issues, be they mental or physical, regardless of where we are. We need to embrace these commonalities, along with our sense of curiosity and adventure, to boldly address these sticky issues, together.
Thanks for reading!
Learn more about Impact Canada Challenges.
