Incoming requests from participants (such as 'ordering' urine bottles) are sent from the study office to the ward corridors via the 'runner tool', so that test subjects can be helped quickly.
In this blog series on the second campaign of NASA's sensorimotor countermeasures (SMC) bed-rest study, researchers from the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine present the key experiments and people behind them, showing how they develop measures to prepare humans for safe space exploration – while also advancing medical care here on Earth.
How do our bed rest participants spend their days in bed while also going about their daily routines? How do they take care of personal hygiene, interact with others, pursue hobbies or move around the :envihab facility when they have to lie down for the entire 60-day bed rest phase? Staff in the participant care team are crucial facilitators, available around the clock for a wide variety of tasks on the ward and in constant contact with the 12 test subjects.
One of the first tasks of the day – participants on the scales
Part of the daily morning routine involves weighing participants while they remain in a 6-degree head-down tilt position.
Support during a bed rest study is mainly provided by student assistants from various degree programmes. A team of over 20 assistants looks after the participants, taking care of anything that comes up on the ward. They work in a system of early, late and night shifts, and during the 60-day bed rest phase at least two assistants are on site during each shift, supervised by a study coordinator.
Wake up at 06:30 – every day
The early shift starts at 06:15. Shortly before that, there's a shared coffee in the staff kitchen and a look through the logbook to get up to speed on the latest events and procedures on the ward. Participants are woken up at 06:30 every day – there are no weekend lie-ins during the study, which lasts, in total, 89 days. Not everyone is thrilled about the wake-up time, but they appreciate a few friendly words and a smile to greet them early in the day. The morning routine includes measuring blood pressure and body temperature, distributing urine bottles and coordinating the daily weigh-in (while lying at a 6 degree head-down tilt, of course!). During the bed rest phase, an assistant is on duty at all times as a 'monitor', using a camera to check that everyone is lying correctly.
Transporting participants
Since participants are unable to stand up, assistants push them to their destination – this may even be just a quick chat in the neighbouring room, as seen here.
Various experiments and activities for the day then follow. The assistants accompany the test subjects to experiments, do their laundry, wash hygiene items or draw up the shower schedule – as shower times have to be precisely coordinated with the daily schedule and the personal needs of the participants.
A Mario Kart tournament as a bedtime treat
At 14:15, the late shift takes over. There's a brief discussion about the special events of the day and urine bottles are handed over. They are meticulously checked for correct data entry, counted and taken to the laboratory for further analysis. Since the popular shower times are in the evening, participants are then transported to the shower (lying down, of course!) and back to their rooms. After dinner, participants like to gather in the lounge in their beds, where assistants organise film or games evenings – if there's time, they're welcome to also join in. A particular favourite with the team and participants? The Mario Kart game console tournament!
Monitoring from the study office
In the study office, staff can keep an eye on the lying position of all participants in their rooms at a glance.
The night shift begins at 21:15 and helps participants with the evening routine: distributing wash bowls and urine bottles, collecting water bottles and checking the bed angle. As soon as the lights go out at 22:30, the team enters the test results into the database, prepares documents for the next day, disinfects all surfaces and cleans the hygiene materials.
The team's support ensures participants have everything they need. Participants can reach the assistants at any time by calling the study office, and the team fulfils requests whenever it's possible to do so. Urine bottles and bedpans are most frequently needed, but sometimes it's just a matter of handing over the coloured pencils from the desk, beyond reach from the bed.
Work in participant care is varied and, due to the close contact, very personal. As the participants are heavily dependent on the team during the bed rest phase, a familiar relationship quickly develops, and intimate conversations arise. Friendships have even formed that live on beyond the bed rest study.
