Photo: NASA/Getty Images
LAS VEGAS – During a workshop at the 2026 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exposition on Thursday here, attendees were tasked with forming groups of at least five people each to reimagine value-based care through the lens of space travel.
Three groups evaluated individual scenarios in which an astronaut experienced medical challenges during a space mission, with Group One focusing on vision loss, Group Two on mental health and Group Three on an astronaut with a blood clot.
Each team member played a role in the crew, including a flight surgeon, communications director, resource efficiency and science officer, among others.
The teams examined provider capability and sustainability, the technology to use from three choices, crew-wide outcomes, patient-centered care and resource efficiency.
After deliberating on choices, potential outcomes and the sacrifices those choices entail, the team completed a mission scoring sheet that determined mission success (26-30), survival with compromise (20-25), critical strain (14-19) and mission failure (<14).
The team focused on mental health secured the highest score with 28 points, the vision loss-focused team secured 24 points, and the team focused on blood clots received 17 points.
At the end of the workshop, numerous attendees reported that the exercises were helpful for leadership development and thinking through problems without the necessary resources.
THE LARGER TREND
In January, astronauts on NASA's Crew-11 mission experienced a medical emergency aboard the International Space Station, prompting their early return to Earth.
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov were part of Crew 11.
In February, Fincke announced he was the astronaut who experienced the medical issues and released a statement.
"On Jan. 7, while aboard the International Space Station, I experienced a medical event that required immediate attention from my incredible crewmates. Thanks to their quick response and the guidance of our NASA flight surgeons, my status quickly stabilized," Fincke said.
"After further evaluation, NASA determined the safest course was an early return for Crew-11 – not an emergency, but a carefully coordinated plan to be able to take advantage of advanced medical imaging not available on the space station. On Jan. 15, we splashed down off the coast of San Diego after an amazing five-and-a-half-month mission."
The astronauts credited ultrasound technology with playing a key role in handling the emergency. The situation marked a rare medical emergency that resulted in an early return from the ISS.
