engleski

Education in clinical engineering - importance of international programs

The mission of clinical engineering has not been changed in it's basic statements [1,2], but during the last decade the job of clinical engineers and clinical engineering departments has been widely extended, mainly in two directions: management of health care facilities and introduction of information technology into health care institutions and system [3, 4]. The costs of the health care system increase and therefore in many countries health care system reforms have been started with the aim of reducing the costs without decreasing the level of the health care. Management of the whole system, including careful planing of rational use, purchase and maintenance of medical equipment are included into the basic principles of the reforms [5]. The other aspect is the integration of the health care enabled through the implementation of the information and communication technology (telemedicine, telematics, DPACs, smart health cards etc.). These changes made a significant impact to the education programs in clinical engineering. Clinical engineers will have to become not only professionals (like today) but super-specialists in particular fields and therefore will have to attend additional (most probably post-graduate studies) to specialise. In small countries, within the concept of rational organisation of the health care system and educational system as well, only international programs enabling mobility (of both, students and lecturers) will insure adequate education of such specialistic profiles [6]. Therefore, we find that the academic community as well as professional organisations like the IFMBE and IUPESM should strongly support international programs and initiate their implementation.

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