Clinical Engineering with Healthcare Technology Management  MSc

Course Content

• Charing Cross Hospital, London
• The Royal London Hospital
• St Bartholomew's Hospital, London
• The London Chest Hospital
• Department of Radiography, School of Community and Health Sciences, City University London
• Department of Medical Informatics, School of Informatics, City University London

Course Structure

Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology
This module provides an introduction to the basic principles of biological medicine, and is designed for non-biological science graduates.  An overview of human anatomy is provided designed on a systems-based approach.  The basic principles of human and animal physiology will be studied alongside a range of important disease processes.  Systems covered include: the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, the brain and central nervous system, vision and hearing, skeletal and muscular systems and the digestive system. There will also be lectures focusing on key areas of medical practice such as anaesthesia and high-altitude medicine.

Clinical instrumentation
This module focuses on the study of the design, construction and clinical testing of biomedical electronics and instrumentation for acquisition of bio-signals from the body.  The module is split into two parts, lectures and laboratory sessions.  The basic scientific principles underlying modern clinical measurement systems will be studied, including sensors, signal conditioning, calibration, data acquisition, analogue-to digital conversion and  signal processing. Key clinical equipment will be studied in detail, including ECG, patient monitoring, pulse oximetry, laser Doppler systems etc.  The laboratory sessions will allow students to design and test their own hardware and software with the aim of recording and interpreting real physiological measurements.

Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Therapy
Cardiovascular medicine is an area with considerable dependence on engineering technology.  The application of biomedical instrumentation applied to clinical measurement of the function of the heart and circulatory systems will be studied. In addition the module will provide insight into therapeutic systems including non-surgical interventions for treatment of coronary artery disease.  The module culminates in a visit to St Bartholomew's hospital cardiothoracic operating theatres and intensive care units.  Cardiac surgery will also be covered with a focus on new technology in surgery.

Medical Imaging Modalities
Many aspects of modern medical imaging systems in currently in use in hospitals will be covered including CT, MRI and PET imaging.  The module Includes lectures and demonstrations of X-ray imaging, CT, Ultrasonic imaging, MRI, PET etc. The module aims to enable graduates to apply their knowledge of clinical engineering to imaging technology in a clinical setting.  Visits to the Department of Radiography will enable students to see each modality in practice.  The module will provide sufficient knowledge of medical imaging technology to embark on specialist training (e.g. from a manufacturer) in management of specific medical imaging equipment.

Clinical Engineering Practice
Teaching in Clinical Engineering Practice is given from the beginning of the MSc course.  The module provides key skills, invaluable to Clinical Engineers such as fault-finding methodology, safety testing, calibration, environmental issues etc.  The clinical use of a range of medical devices will be explained such as drug infusors, anaesthetic machines, surgical laser systems, endoscopic systems, defribillators, ventilators, etc.  The technical challenges associated with the use of these devices in the clinical environment will also be explored.  The module also gives a comprehensive introduction to risk management, quality systems and wireless networking technologies.

Healthcare Technology Management
This module focuses on the management of technology, with an emphasis on the equipment life cycle.  Lectures will cover the Identification/evaluation of need, the procurement process, purchasing, compliance risk assessment, safety certification, training, legal considerations, planned preventative maintenance, and quality control.  Other topics such as contractual agreements, monitoring, audit etc, will be covered. The module has a strong emphasis on continuing professional development and is taught by senior Clinical Engineers from Charing Cross Hospital, where some teaching takes place.

Telemedicine
The Telemedicine module explores the nature, role and impact of information technology in facilitating the delivery of components of health care at a distance. The aim is to provide sufficient knowledge to assist in the decision making process with respect to the implementation and development of telemedicine solutions within the healthcare arena. The aim of the module is to foster and promote the educational use of modern information and communications technologies, for the benefit of healthcare staff and patients. Topics include: telesurgery, teleradiology, distance learning, web authoring, remote sensing and human Health.

Research skills
This module provides background training in research skills to enable completion of the final project and will be invaluable for careers involving research.  These skills include reading and appraising medical and scientific literature, searching for papers and articles, correct referencing, report writing and making presentations.  Other areas covered include research ethics, analysis and representation of data, statistical methods, intellectual property, patent search, avoiding plaigarism etc.  During the module, students choose the topic of their final project, so the later parts of the module are tailored to their individual project needs.