Monday, May 6, 2002		Article

OVER the years, medical sciences have achieved tremendous technological advancement in almost every sphere, whether it is diagnostic tools, radiology equipment, artificial limbs or surgical aids. Today major surgical operations like those of heart, eye, tumour or stone are performed successfully with precision and in much shorter duration, mainly due to advanced surgical and diagnostic machines.

With health sciences relying heavily on computer-aided diagnostic and surgical tools, task of computer-proficient paramedical experts or IT professionals with science background has become extremely important. These people are involved in the design and manufacturing of computerised diagnostic devices, development of required software, their application, research and analysis.

As compared to their Western counterparts, India is not far behind as far as development and application of such tools are concerned. Biomedical sciences are among those area of technology where engineering expertise combine with medical sciences to create a product for enhancement of health care. Professionals assimilate their knowledge and skills from various functional areas to solve complex problems related to health care and develop new procedures or devices. They come from different educational and work categories and may include paramedical staff, physicians, technicians, computer programmers and engineers.

Biomedical professionals design and construct cardiac pacemakers, artificial kidneys, contact lenses, artificial limbs, etc. They design computer systems to monitor and analyse patient during surgery or in intensive care on parameters say pulse rate, heartbeats, blood pressure, sugar level, etc. The specific computer models are also required to monitor healthy persons in simulated environment, say ocean divers in sea condition, astronauts in zero gravity, fighter pilots in air or miners in deep mines. They design and build sensors to measure level of compounds like potassium, sodium, etc. in the blood and develop instruments for use in say eye surgery or kidney transplant.

These experts develop computer-based models, say seat cushions for paralysed patients or speech system for dumb and deaf or typing equipment for the blind. They make use of advanced computing technology to establish research and diagnostic laboratories or creating products like mobile van for rural areas, make shift operation theatres, computer analyser for blood and sugar samples, cardiac catheterisation, etc.

The biomedical professionals are also involved in design and development of medical imaging devices like computer-assisted tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ulrasound, etc. They construct computer or mathematical models for physiological systems, design biomaterials and determine biocompatible properties of artificial materials. They develop computer-aided diagnostic procedures for determining parameters that are not directly measurable or where high precision and timing to the fraction of seconds are required.

Some of the areas covered by biomedical sciences include Bioinstrumentation, Biomechanics, Biomaterials, Clinical engineering, etc. Bioinstrumentation is the application of measurement principles and techniques to develop devices that are used in diagnosis and treatment of an ailment. Computers play a vital role in bioinstrumentation, from a small purpose device say blood or sugar testing machine to large medical imaging system like CT scan, laproscopy machine.

Biomaterials include materials that are used for artificial implantation in human body. They understand the properties and behaviour of living material for designing the implant materials, which includes metal alloys, ceramics or polymers. The properties and effect of such materials are analysed with the help of computers models. Biomechanics is referred to study of biological or medical problems by applying principles of mechanics say motion, material deformation, fluid flow, etc.

Systems physiology is the field of Biomedical sciences, where engineering techniques and tools are used for understanding the function of living organisms. Computer modelling and simulation methods are used in the collection and analysis of experimental data and in developing mathematical models of physiological events say in metabolism or limb movement.

Rehabilitation engineering is a new and growing specialty area of biomedical sciences, where they work directly with the disabled individual. These professionals make use of advanced techniques to improve the capabilities of physically impaired individuals and develop software-aided tools to assist people with cognitive difficulties.

Biomedical professionals are employed in medical industry for the manufacture of hardware devices, in hospitals, in research facilities of medical institutions and in government regulatory agencies. They also work in software industry for developing specific programs for computer aided medical equipments.

In research institutions, biomedical professionals supervise laboratories and medical equipment or participate in research activities. Some biomedical experts are also employed as consultant for companies that are manufacturing medical equipments. A biomedical equipment technician work with computer-aided machines for diagnosis or treatment of diseases or for aid in the functioning of a vital organ.

A biomedical professional should have sufficient knowledge of physiology so that he can make judgments in solving biomedical problems. They may be computer professionals with biology or science background. However many students are from biomedical, chemical, electrical, or even mechanical engineering with exposure to computer programming.

Universities abroad conduct several graduate and postgraduate courses on Biomedical sciences. Course module provides exposure on Biomedical photographic communication, Imaging Arts and Sciences, Medical Terminology, Human Biology, video images for medical applications, etc. Students are required to develop effective written and verbal communication skills, strong life science fundamentals and medical systems and knowledge of hospital and clinical systems.

Biomedical engineering modules includes, Biotechnology and Microbiology applications, Artificial Tissues, Medical Intrumentation and Hospital Equipment Design, Artificial Organs, Medical Imaging Systems, Computers in Medicine science, etc. Biomedical imaging program covers construction and clinical evaluation of imaging methods, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray, etc.

In India, realising the importance of this extremely useful stream of biological and medical sciences, department of biotechnology has been established. It promotes research and development activities in pharmaceutical and medical equipment industry, software companies, hospitals and research institutions, etc. Bioinformatics Institute of India at Noida offers one year Post Graduate Diploma in Biomedical informatics for individuals from biological, Chemical, Medical or Computer Sciences. The institute also offers one-year distance learning program for the interested students. Other educational institutes that are offering similar course are Bharathidasan Institute of Engineering & Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, IITs, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, Dr BR Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical Research, Delhi.

The students especially from background in life sciences have a tremendous employment scope in this high growth field of medical technology, both in the health industry as well as in educational institutions.