Vision and Provision of Clinical Engineering Division - CED/IFMBE

Abstract

Clinical engineering is the branch of biomedical engineering dealing with all aspects of medical equipment and technologies used in hospitals and other clinical settings. Clinical Engineering Division is a special division of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (CED/IFMBE).

The CED/IFMBE vision is to be a primary international thriving professional, scientific and educational forum for developing, establishing and promoting clinical engineering. The CED/IFMBE mission is to advance worldwide research, development, learning, knowledge, skills and competences on healthcare technology management, to promote global communication and networking, to advance and disseminate worldwide safety tools and effective decision-making processes within the healthcare technology management system, to define and promote quality standards and to encourage excellence in clinical engineering practices and processes worldwide, to stimulate innovation and efficient use of technology-related resources in healthcare worldwide, and to internationally represent and advocate the interests of clinical engineering profession and their global exchange.

In recent years, the CED/IFMBE has been making efforts to provide revised division’s charter, multilingual translations of the six volumes from the Ziken ‘How to manage’ book series for healthcare technology, a comprehensive publication on human factors engineering, an open-access international journal of clinical engineering and healthcare technology assessment, its dedicated web-site and e-conferencing tool, an on-line directory of clinical engineering teaching units and professional associations, clinical engineering awards, international program for certification in clinical engineering, global center for healthcare technology managers on disaster preparedness training, as well as other benefits.

The IFMBE is the only international professional organization that has the CED focusing specifically on all aspects of life cycle management of healthcare technologies. Taking into account the recent activities and the outcomes of its completed and running projects during the last two terms of the CED/IFMBE Board, the latter time seems to be probably one of the most fruitful periods in its history, to the benefit of clinical engineers and healthcare systems, but primarily for the benefit of all patients worldwide.

Keywords: biomedical engineering, clinical engineering, International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering, Clinical Engineering Division