Tendencies and Initiatives in the Regulation of Clinical Engineers in the European Region

There is a clear tendency of the Clinical Engineering (CE) profession to provide service to the healthcare institutions in a high cost-effective way, but at the same time with exceptional standard of quality assurance. Several CE issues in the European region are considered; particularly on the present employment opportunities and tendencies for the Clinical Engineer, current international situation on the occupational classification, for which a derivation of the ISCO-08 four-digit code for the CE profession is presented. The BIOMEDEA proposal for CE training protocol in Europe is highlighted and the recommended core component areas in CE training are depicted. The current situation on the normalisation of the CE profession and the issue on the required framework to implement its certification is also highlighted. In conclusion, the CE profession needs to be systematically promoted together with its required accreditation, certification and regulation infrastructure by all governments within the UN and WHO system, and it is recommended that CE educational programmes are jointly coordinated and implemented by both engineering and medical institutions.