Clinical Engineering - The Definition

The Definition

A Clinical engineer is defined by ACCE as "a professional who supports and advances patient care by applying engineering and managerial skills to healthcare technology." This definition was first adopted by the ACCE Board of Directors on May 13, 1991. Clinical Engineering is also recognized by the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), the major professional organization for biomedical engineering, as being a branch within Biomedical Engineering.

There are at least two issues with the ACCE definition that cause some confusion. First, it is phrased so broadly that it's not readily evident that "clinical engineer" is but one subset of "biomedical engineer." Many times the terms actually get used interchangeably: some hospitals refer to their relevant departments as "Clinical Engineering" departments, while others call them "Biomedical Engineering" departments. Indeed, as noted above, the technicians are almost universally referred to as "biomedical equipment technicians," regardless of the name of the department that they might work under. However, the term "biomedical engineer" is generally thought to be more all-encompassing, including engineers who work in the primary design of medical devices for manufacturers, or in original R&D, or in academia—whereas clinical engineers generally work in hospitals solving problems that are very close to where equipment is actually used in a patient care setting. The clinical engineers in some countries such as India are trained to innovate and find technological solutions for the clinical needs. The other issue not evident from the ACCE definition is the appropriate educational background for a clinical engineer. Generally, the expectation of the certification program is that an applicant for certification as a clinical engineer will hold an accredited bachelor's degree in engineering (or at least engineering technology).