Many of the problems confronting health professionals today are of extreme importance to the engineer because they involve the Fundamental aspects of device and systems analysis, design, and practical applicationall of which lie at the heart of processes that are fundamental to engineering practice. These medically relevant design problems can range from very complex large-scale constructs, such as the design and implementation of automated clinical laboratories, multiphasic screening facilities (i.e., centers that permit many tests to be conducted), and hospital information systems, to the creation of relatively small and simple devices, such as recording electrodes and transducers that may be used to monitor the activity of specific physiological processes in either a research or clinical setting. They encompass the many complexities of remote monitoring and telemetry and include the requirements of emergency vehicles, operating rooms, and intensive care units.The American health care system, therefore, encompasses many problems that represent challenges to certain members of the engineering profession called biomed- ical engineers. Since biomedical engineering involves applying the concepts, knowledge, and approaches of virtually all engineering disciplines (e.g.,electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering) to solve specific health care related problems, the opportunities for interaction between engineers and health care professionals are many and varied.Biomedical engineers may become involved, for example, in the design of a new medical imaging modality or development of new medical prosthetic devices to aid people with disabilities. Although what is included in the field of biomedical engineering is considered by many to be quite clear, many conflicting opinions concerning the field can be traced to disagreements about its definition. For example, consider the terms biomedical engineering, bioengineering, biological engineering, and clinical(or medical) engineer, which are defined in the Bioengineering Education Directory. Although Pacela defined bioengineering as the broad umbrella term used to describethis entire field, bioengineering is usually defined as a basic-research-oriented activity closely related to biotechnology and genetic engineering, that is, the modification of animal or plant cells or parts of cells to improve plants or animals or to develop new microorganisms for beneficial ends. In the food industry, for example, this has meant the improvement of strains of yeast for fermentation. In agriculture, bioengineers may be concerned with the improvement of crop yields by treating plants with organisms to reduce frost damage. It is clear that bioengineers for the future will have tremen- dous impact on the quality of human life. The full potential of this specialty is difficult to imagine.
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