Biomedical Engineering Training Research Articles

Systematic Design and HRV Analysis of a Portable ECG System Using Arduino and LabVIEW for Biomedical Engineering Training

Systematic Design and HRV Analysis of a Portable ECG System Using Arduino and LabVIEW for Biomedical Engineering Training

Laboratory equipment maintenance: A critical bottleneck for strengthening health systems in sub-Saharan Africa?

Properly functioning laboratory equipment is a critical component for strengthening health systems in developing countries. The laboratory can be an entry point to improve population health and care of individuals for targeted diseases - prevention, care, and treatment of TB, HIV/AIDS, and malaria, plus maternal and neonatal health - as well as those lacking specific attention and funding. We review the benefits and persistent challenges associated with sustaining laboratory equipment maintenance. We propose equipment management policies as well as a comprehensive equipment maintenance strategy that would involve equipment manufacturers and strengthen local capacity through pre-service training of biomedical engineers. Strong country leadership and commitment are needed to assure development and sustained implementation of policies and strategies for standardization of equipment, and regulation of its procurement, donation, disposal, and replacement.

Learning through projects in the training of biomedical engineers: an application experience

Learning through Projects in the curriculum consists of both the identification and analysis of a problem, and the design of solution, execution and evaluation strategies, with teams of students. The project is conceived as the creation of a set of strategies articulated and developed during a certain amount of time to solve a problem contextualized in situations continually changing, where the constant evaluation provides feedback to make adjustments. In 2009, Learning through Projects was applied on the subject Hospital Facilities and three intervention projects were developed in health centers. This first stage is restricted to the analysis of the aspects that are considered to be basic to the professional training: a) Context knowledge: The future biomedical engineers must be familiarized with the complex health system where they will develop their profession; b) Team work: This is one of the essential skills in the training of students, since Biomedical Engineering connects the knowledge of sciences of life with the knowledge of exact sciences and technology; c) Regulations: The activities related to the profession require the implementation of regulations; therefore, to be aware of and to apply these regulations is a fundamental aspect to be analyzed in this stage; d) Project evaluation: It refers to the elaboration and studying of co-evaluation reports, which helps to find out if Learning through Projects contributes to the training. This new line of investigation has the purpose of discovering if the application of this learning strategy makes changes in the training of students in relation to their future professional career. The findings of this ongoing investigation will allow for the analysis of the possibility of extending its application. Key words: engineering, biomedical, learning, projects, strategies.

In the Spotlight: Biomedical Signal Processing

BSP is a well established discipline and constitutes the corner stone for the training of Biomedical Engineers both at undergraduate and at graduate levels. No basic curriculum on Biomedical Engineering could even exist without one or more BSP courses. All the advanced methods of signal processing (from traditional linear digital filtering up to non linear higher-order approaches) have been applied to BSP. The EEG signal, which is basically pseudo-stochastic, is a good example: the information contained in the original tracings, which are generally used for physiological or clinical interpretation, is hardly directly interpretable unless a more or less complicate pre-processing is done. This reasoning is obviously applicable, in different contexts, to other biomedical signals.

Advancing Biomedical Engineering in Developing Nations

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have played a major role in the diffusion of biomedical engineering training to developing nations. This paper reviews the roles and unique attributes of NGOs in biomedical engineering training programs. The activities of one leading NGO in this field, Project HOPE, are discussed with examples drawn from around the world. Future challenges to biomedical engineering in the developing world, and the potential of NGOs to provide a response to these needs, are considered.

Biomedical engineering training in Dundee.

A brief outline of the activities and supporting departments involved in Biomedical Engineering is presented together with a description of existing and potential training facilities.

Education and professional training of biomedical engineers in West Germany

The health service and educational systems, together with industry and research centres, are the primary institutions involved in the development of the bio-engineering profession in West Germany. Since industry and research institutions in West Germany are similar in structure to those in other countries, for the purposes of international comparison only the health service and educational systems are described. The questions "how many bioengineers are needed?" and "how many should be trained?", were the motivation for a professional field analysis commissioned by the German Society for Biomedical Engineering. This commission found a need for about seven thousand bioengineers and biotechnicians in West Germany. It is shown, however, that there are actually very few positions open, and some measures to create more positions are discussed.