engleski

Current Legislative Framework for Biomedical Engineering Profession in Croatia

The process of establishing and recognizing a certain profession may consist of a number of phases and may depend on many factors. The objective of this work is to present the current legal framework for biomedical engineering profession in Croatia. The current national classification of occupations is in full structural compliance with the current international standard classification of occupations (ISCO-08). The occupation ‘biomedical engineer’ is expected to be included in the national list of individual occupations soon, as well as the adequate note that biomedical engineers are part of a health work force. The current national Regulation on scientific and artistic areas, fields and branches does not explicitly include Biomedical Engineering. Furthermore, there is no university study leading to degree explicitly in Biomedical Engineering. Within the current national health-related legal framework, biomedical engineers are considered as health coworkers and are paid in clinical environment as non-health workers who participate in diagnosis and treatment. There is no Profession Act and Professional Chamber, and no registration or certification of biomedical engineers. Taking all this into account but mostly the benefit for patients, health care professionals, health care institutions and national health care system, it seems that there is an urgent need in Croatia to make a decisive actions towards respecting, setting up and using usual guidelines, standards and practice of status regulation for biomedical engineers.

biomedical engineering; profession; occupation; health worker; legislation

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