The Practice of Clinical Engineering

The Practice of Clinical Engineering deals with clinical engineering, its educational requirements, the requirements for accreditation, and practice, including legislation and liability. The objectives of clinical engineers are discussed, together with clinical engineering internships, insurance and malpractice, and the clinical engineer's role in hospital planning. This book is comprised of 56 chapters divided into eight sections and begins with an overview of clinical engineering as a discipline and how it differs from biomedical engineering. The reader is then introduced to the history of interdisciplinary engineering and the use of technology in clinical medicine. The following sections focus on the education of the clinical engineer, with emphasis on internships and the training of biomedical equipment technicians; professional accreditation and registration; the role of the clinical engineer as an interface in hospitals; and the involvement of clinical engineers in anesthesiology, surgery, and coronary care. The final chapter considers the transfer of technology to the clinical area and the means that can be used in the implementation of advances in medical engineering. This monograph is intended for engineers concerned with clinical medicine and those concerned with the utilization of diagnostic and therapeutic medical instrumentation or systems.