Developments in methods and instrumentation for clinical and research medicine
article
The last decades have been characterized by the mutual influence of different scientific disciplines upon one another. One clear example of this interpenetration is the impact of technology upon medicine. Along with this development there have arisen certain problems connected with the rapprochement of medical and technical knowledge: the medical doctor may have difficulties in evaluating and choosing among the possibilities offered by technology and applied physics. One approach to optimizing this interdisciplinary cooperation has been to establish institutions dedicated to medical engineering. One such institute, the Institute of Medical Physics TNO, The Netherlands, is reviewed. Selected examples of results of the activities of its laboratory groups are included.
One approach to optimizing interdisciplinary cooperation among physicians, engineers, physiologists and physicists has been to establish institutions dedicated to medical engineering. One such institute, the Institute of Medical Physics TNO, The Netherlands, is reviewed. The scientific staff of the Institute consists of physicists, physicians and graduate engineers. They are grouped in teams including technicians, programmers and other skilled personnel as needed for research. For medical doctors, combined appointment in the Institute and in a medical clinic is recommended. This prevents M. D. 's from becoming second-rate engineers, counterbalancing the technological atmosphere of the Institute by encouraging them to keep in contact with patients. The non-medical staff members and the technicians spend many hours in clinics and rehabilitation centers, thus getting acquainted with medical environments and attitudes, but keeping a firm technological home base in the background. The task of members of the Institute is to serve health care by applying knowledge from the areas of physics and technology to those fields of medicine where there is need for it or where such a need is expected. The following activities of the laboratory groups are described: perinatal trend detection, modular ECG/VCG processing system, computer-assisted cardiac monitoring, automatic anesthesia control, biofeedback of hippocampus theta rhythm, multifocal electro-coagulation of brain tissue, electronic sector scanning with ultlrasound, seat-shells, comparative testing of instrumentation.
One approach to optimizing interdisciplinary cooperation among physicians, engineers, physiologists and physicists has been to establish institutions dedicated to medical engineering. One such institute, the Institute of Medical Physics TNO, The Netherlands, is reviewed. The scientific staff of the Institute consists of physicists, physicians and graduate engineers. They are grouped in teams including technicians, programmers and other skilled personnel as needed for research. For medical doctors, combined appointment in the Institute and in a medical clinic is recommended. This prevents M. D. 's from becoming second-rate engineers, counterbalancing the technological atmosphere of the Institute by encouraging them to keep in contact with patients. The non-medical staff members and the technicians spend many hours in clinics and rehabilitation centers, thus getting acquainted with medical environments and attitudes, but keeping a firm technological home base in the background. The task of members of the Institute is to serve health care by applying knowledge from the areas of physics and technology to those fields of medicine where there is need for it or where such a need is expected. The following activities of the laboratory groups are described: perinatal trend detection, modular ECG/VCG processing system, computer-assisted cardiac monitoring, automatic anesthesia control, biofeedback of hippocampus theta rhythm, multifocal electro-coagulation of brain tissue, electronic sector scanning with ultlrasound, seat-shells, comparative testing of instrumentation.
Topics
Health careBiomedical engineeringBioengineeringEconomic aspectElectrocardiographyElectrocoagulationGgeneral practitionerHeart monitoringHippocampus theta rhythmMedical educationMedical instrumentationMedical physicsMedical researchMedical specialistAcademies and InstitutesAnesthesiaBiomedical EngineeringBrainBrain DiseasesCardiac OutputCardiovascular DiseasesCoronary Care UnitsCoronary DiseaseElectrocardiographyElectronics, MedicalExercise TestLungMedical StaffOrganization and AdministrationRehabilitationTechnology, MedicalUltrasonicsVectorcardiography
TNO Identifier
227668
Source
Medical Progress through Technology, 2(3), pp. 133-149.
Pages
133-149
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