Biomedical Engineering Education: Need for Harmonisation

Medical technology has radically reshaped the way healthcare is delivered today and continues to improve it in an accelerated pace. Biomedical Engineering (BME) is a multidisciplinary field lying in the cross-section of medical/biological sciences and engineering. Healthcare today is technology-driven and delivered by teams rather than individuals. Biomedical Engineers (BMEs) as professionals are playing a vital role in these developments, being behind the recent advances and involved during the whole life cycle of Medical Devices (MDs), from the innovative idea to their final use. More than five hundred thousand MDs models are available in the world market today. As a result, the BME profession is expected to be the first in demand amongst all other engineering subspecialties in the years to come. However, this rapid evolution creates a constant pressure for new knowledge and skills for the BMEs and therefore for continuous curriculum updates in order to meet R&D and market demands, but also for harmonisation of studies worldwide that will facilitate staff and students’ mobility and collaboration.