The important technological development of electronics in recent years has led to a large scale diffusion of a new concept of systems including more and more sophisticated electronic components. Even in the medical field the evolution of technology has introduced various innovations on the equipment used in the treatment methods of different types of pathologies.
At present, more and more sophisticated equipment and techniques are applied in medicine to facilitate both diagnosis and therapy. The recording of physiological electrical signals (EEG, ECG, EMG…) or the diagnostic method through images (TAC…) that reproduces body sections of patients with tridimensional graphic processing, detect pathologies that would not be recognized by traditional instruments, showing this to be a reliable and essential instrument for the doctor.
This situation leads to the need of new professionals with an adequate education in basic electronics and a good knowledge of applications in specific sectors such as biomedical equipment. The in-depth knowledge of a biomedical apparatus is necessary to carry out the correct installation, safety check, control of performance and routine/extraordinary maintenance; consequently this requires a basic theoretical-practical training in the electronic field.
Consequently, the issue of basic training of technicians for the maintenance of biomedical systems has a strategic importance for the medical centres using electromedical equipment. After a in-depth international survey and thanks to an experience of many years in the fields of electronics and automation, ELETTRONICA VENETA, has developed a specific training program for the “Biomedical” sector to train technicians with an adequate and versatile preparation.
The different topics are organized to build an educational program including both theoretical introduction and practical experiments:
- Study of basic electronics as introduction to biomedical applications (optional preliminary step) and basic training in the electromedical sector
- Vocational training with some examples of instruments in the sectors of pathophysiology and diagnosis, rehabilitation, analysis laboratory, and software for the maintenance of biomedical equipment.
The study of basic electronics and of the biomedical sector is dealt with the setting of an electromedical laboratory consisting of some stand-alone workstations for students and one for the teacher. The basic parts of the system are indicated here below:
- Individual control unit for managing the interaction between user and automated control system
- Testing modules of electronics and electromedical equipment
- PC used by students for study and guide to exercises, and by teacher to collect and process the results
- Educational software for individual study and acquisition of biomedical signals
Vocational training aims at giving a set of knowledges and skills sufficient to know the general operation of existing equipment, to install, calibrate and repair the instruments that do not require the supplier’s intervention, to cooperate with medical personnel both in everyday use and in the technical assessment of new required equipment.
The equipment for Vocational Training includes some examples of real biomedical systems, a system to test electrical safety devices and a multimedia software to study preventive and periodic maintenance procedures.
