Abstract
BackgroundHealthcare worldwide needs translation of basic ideas from engineering into the clinic. Consequently, there is increasing demand for graduates equipped with the knowledge and skills to apply interdisciplinary medicine/engineering approaches to the development of novel solutions for healthcare. The literature provides little guidance regarding barriers to, and facilitators of, effective interdisciplinary learning for engineering and medical students in a team-based project context.MethodsA quantitative survey was distributed to engineering and medical students and staff in two universities, one in Ireland and one in Belgium, to chart knowledge and practice in interdisciplinary learning and teaching, and of the teaching of innovation.ResultsWe report important differences for staff and students between the disciplines regarding attitudes towards, and perceptions of, the relevance of interdisciplinary learning opportunities, and the role of creativity and innovation. There was agreement across groups concerning preferred learning, instructional styles, and module content. Medical students showed greater resistance to the use of structured creativity tools and interdisciplinary teams.ConclusionsThe results of this international survey will help to define the optimal learning conditions under which undergraduate engineering and medicine students can learn to consider the diverse factors which determine the success or failure of a healthcare engineering solution.
Highlights
Healthcare worldwide needs translation of basic ideas from engineering into the clinic
There is a recognised need for graduates equipped with the knowledge and skills to apply interdisciplinary medicine/engineering approaches to the development of novel healthcare solutions [5]
Commentators have emphasised the importance of introducing innovation and creativity training into undergraduate medical curricula as a means of enhancing scientific innovation in medicine [6]
Summary
Healthcare worldwide needs translation of basic ideas from engineering into the clinic. There is increasing demand for graduates equipped with the knowledge and skills to apply interdisciplinary medicine/engineering approaches to the development of novel solutions for healthcare. Innovators with medical and engineering backgrounds may bring scientific method (characterized by experiment and requirement for repeatability) and experience of design process (fuzzy and non-linear) in differing degrees. This dual perspective and methodology should (and has) enhance medical device development [5]. There is a recognised need for graduates equipped with the knowledge and skills to apply interdisciplinary medicine/engineering approaches to the development of novel healthcare solutions [5]. Commentators have emphasised the importance of introducing innovation and creativity training into undergraduate medical curricula as a means of enhancing scientific innovation in medicine [6]
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