Healthcare is facing increasing quality and resource challenges and telemedicine is often regarded as part of the solution. Numerous pilots are underway, but will these telemedicine services really make healthcare more efficient? Will they increase quality, safety and access to care? And what added value can satellite communication bring to such services? These are questions the ASSIST study aims to address by developing comprehensive methods and easy to use toolkits for telemedicine assessment, which help pilot projects to objectively and rigorously evaluate their solution from an evidence-based multi-stakeholder perspective. ASSIST is funded through the ESA’s General Studies Programme (GSP).

The objective of the AMAZON project is the development and validation of a tele-assistance service, using multiple space assets, for professional clinical users in remote locations using a compact device for vital-sign monitoring and remote diagnosis. AMAZON is a project run by RDT Ltd. with the contribution (50% funding) of the European Space Agency as part of the ARTES 20 Integrated Applications Promotion Programme.