Remote Biomedical Services Support Program

BackgroundLoneliness and social isolation are associated with anxiety and psychological discomfort, especially amongst the oldest and fragile persons.AimsSILVER evaluates the acceptance of video calls by old hospitalized patients and their relatives during the ban on visits due to the COVID-19. Moreover, SILVER evaluates if the use of different communication technology is associated with different outcomes in terms of anxiety, fear of self and of others’ death and mood.MethodsSILVER is an observational multicentre study. Patients hospitalized in two geriatric units in Switzerland and in one orthogeriatric unit in Italy and their relatives were enrolled. Participants can freely choose to use phone or video calls and were evaluated over a week. We measured anxiety, fear of death and mood at baseline and at the end of the study with standard scales. The use of video or phone calls was associated to a change in these parameters by two-way ANOVA for repeated measures.ResultsSixty-four patients and relatives were enrolled, 26.5% used phone calls and 73.5% video calls. The use of video calls was associated with a reduction in anxiety and fear of death in patients and relatives as compared to participants using phone calls.DiscussionOld patients and their relatives accepted and appreciated the use of video calls during hospitalization; moreover, participant using video calls appears to be less anxious and less afraid of death.ConclusionsVideo calls may be a useful communication tool for hospitalized older patients to keep social relationships with relatives and reduce their anxiety and fear of death.Trial RegistrationRetrospectively registered on 1st September 2021 in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05000099).

Biomedical Engineers (BME) play an important role in medical and healthcare society. Well educational programs are important to support the healthcare systems including hospitals, long term care organizations, manufacture industries of medical devices/instrumentations/systems, and sales/services companies of medical devices/instrumentations/system. In past 30 more years, biomedical engineering society has accumulated thousands people hold a biomedical engineering degree, and work as a biomedical engineer in Taiwan. Most of BME students can be trained in biomedical engineering departments with at least one of specialties in bioelectronics, bio-information, biomaterials or biomechanics. Students are required to have internship trainings in related institutions out of campus for 320 hours before graduating. Almost all the biomedical engineering departments are certified by IEET (Institute of Engineering Education Taiwan), and met the IEET requirement in which required mathematics and fundamental engineering courses. For BMEs after graduation, Taiwanese Society of Biomedical Engineering (TSBME) provides many continue-learning programs and certificates for all members who expect to hold the certification as a professional credit in his working place. In current status, many engineering departments in university are continuously asked to provide joint programs with BME department to train much better quality students. BME is one of growing fields in Taiwan.

Current Opinion in Cardiology was launched in 1985. It is part of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The field of cardiology is divided into 14 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Journal's Editor and Section Editors for this issue. EDITOR Robert RobertsRobert RobertsDr Roberts is an Executive Director of the Heart and Vascular Institute for Dignity Health at St Joseph’ Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. He is Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona School of Medicine Phoenix and holds the Chair in ISCTR. He was the President and CEO of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Canada, (2004–2014) and the Founder and Director of The Ruddy Canadian Cardiovascular Genetics Centre, Canada. He received his M.D. from Dalhousie University, Canada, and completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in cardiology at the University of Toronto, Canada. Funded by a Canadian Heart Foundation Scholarship, he pursued research in heart disease at the University of California, USA, followed by a faculty position at Washington University and Director of the CCU at Barnes Hospital, St Louis, USA. In 1982 he became Chief of Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, USA. Dr Roberts developed the MBCK Test, the standard used to diagnose heart attacks for three decades. Dr Roberts’ research led him to molecular biology and genetics, during which time he discovered many genes responsible for single gene disorders of the heart including FHCM, FDCM, atrial fibrillation, WPW and ARVG. In the past 10 years, he has pursued a major effort, which resulted in discovery of 9p21, the first genetic risk variant for CAD. In collaboration with an international consortium he has been involved with the discovery of over 100 genetic risk variants for CAD. Dr Roberts is generally regarded as one of the founders of molecular cardiology. He has been the Associate Editor of Hurst's the Heart for more than two decades and co-authored the section on Cardiovascular Genetics. He is Senior Guest Editor for JACC: Basic Translational Science and Section Editor for Genomics and Genetics for the parent journal, JACC. He is Associate Editor of Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine, authors Gene of the Month for Cardiology Today and is on the Editorial Board for multiple other cardiovascular journals. Dr Roberts has had a distinguished and prolific career as a Cardiologist, Educator and Scientist having published over 960 scientific articles. In recognition of his scientific contributions he was elected a Fellow of Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada in 2013, received the Distinguished Scientist Award of the American College of Cardiology in 1998 and the Award of Meritorious Achievement from the American Heart Association in 2001. He has received many other awards including the 2012 Research Achievement Award from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society; the 2012 Distinguished Fellowship Award from the International Academy of Cardiology; the McLaughlin Medal from the Royal Society of Canada; the Albrecht Fleckenstein Memorial Award from the International Academy of Cardiology in 2008; Citation for Highly Cited Researcher from ISI Thomson Scientific in 2002. SECTION EDITORS Wilber W. SuWilber W. SuDr Wilber W. Su is the Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology Banner-University Medical Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona, USA, as well as Stanford University Medical Center, USA. He has a biomedical engineering degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and received his training at Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota, for medicine, cardiology, clinician investigator fellowship and cardiac electrophysiology. He has been a high-volume operator and has served as a training physician in both implantable cardiac devices and complex ablation, notably in atrial fibrillation. He is also active in research with multiple important clinical trials and is the national primary investigator for several research trials. He is recognized as a key opinion and thought leader around the world in cryoballoon ablation and has personally performed over 3000 cryoballoon ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation, the highest volume world-wide. He has also taught, presented, and published on various cryoballoon techniques. His latest publication highlights his leadership in the field of cryoballoon ablation, and is titled “Best Practice Guide for Cryoballoon Ablation in Atrial Fibrillation: The compilation experience of over 3000 Procedures” as well as “Best Practice Guide II-Focus on Dosing” and book chapters on Cryoballoon Ablation. He is also a member of the writing committee for the American Heart Association and Heart Rhythm Society national guidelines. Mitchell I. CohenMitchell I. CohenMitchell I. Cohen MD FACC FHRS is the current Co-Director of the Heart Center and Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at Inova Children's Hospital. Dr Cohen graduated from Temple University School of Medicine, USA, and then completed a pediatric internship, residency, cardiology fellowship, and subspecialty training in pediatric electrophysiology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA. Dr Cohen remained on faculty at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, USA. In 2017, Dr Cohen relocated to Northern Virginia and became the Co-Director of the Heart Center and Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at Inova Children's Hospital. Dr Cohen's clinical and research interests address long-term outcomes of children with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices, genotype specific therapies for patients with channelopathies, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and late arrhythmic outcomes in adults with congenital heart disease. Dr Cohen has lectured at over 280 national and international scientific meetings and has over 1000 published papers and book chapters. He has been a visiting professor at Primary Children's Hospital, Children's Mercy Hospital, and Duke Children's Hospital. Dr Cohen's advocacy interests extend to sudden cardiac death prevention and awareness for all high-school students. He is the Past-President of the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES) and is a scientific advisor to the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation (SADS). Dr Cohen served on the Scientific Clinical Documents Committee for the Heart Rhythm Society and been the lead or co-author on more than 5 nationally published guidelines by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. He is the current pediatric representative of the Clinical Arrhythmia Committee for the American College of Cardiology. He is the current pediatric program representative for the 2021 Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) scientific sessions and the Scientific Program Chair for the 2023 World Congress in Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery. Dr Cohen is board certified in pediatric cardiology and adult congenital heart disease. He is certified in electrophysiology, pacemakers, and defibrillators by the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners (IBHRE). Dr Cohen is currently Professor of Pediatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine, USA.

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Main Menu RICHARD JENDRUCKO Richard Jendrucko is currently Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering . He has been active in biomedical engineering for over twenty-five years. Professor Jendrucko has also served as ASEE Biomedical Engineering Division Chair. Richard Jendrucko may be contacted at The University of Tennessee, College of Engineering, MABE Department, 301 Perkins Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996-2030; TEL (865) 974-7682, FAX (865) 974-5274; jendrucko@utk.edu. JACK WASSERMAN Jack Wasserman is a professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering where he has taught in the biomedical engineering program for over twenty-five years. Professor Wasserman is the recipient of seven teaching awards and he holds the position of Fellow in the Center for Undergraduate Excellence and the Interactive Technology Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Jack Wasserman can be contacted at The University of Tennessee, College of Engineering, MABE Department, 322 Perkins Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996-2030, TEL (865) 974-7678, FAX 974-5274; jack-wasserman@utk.edu. Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright Ó 2002, American Society for Engineering Education Main Menu

Undergraduate education in biomedical engineering (BME) and bioengineering (BioE) has been in place for more than 50 years. It has been important in shaping the field as a whole. The early undergraduate programs developed shortly after BME graduate programs, as universities sought to capitalize on the interest of students and the practical advantages of having BME departments that could control their own resources and curriculum. Unlike other engineering fields, BME did not rely initially on a market for graduates in industry, although BME graduates subsequently have found many opportunities. BME undergraduate programs exploded in the 2000s with funding from the Whitaker Foundation and resources from other agencies such as the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. The number of programs appears to be reaching a plateau, with 118 accredited programs in the United States at present. We show that there is a core of material that most undergraduates are expected to know, which is different from the knowledge base of other engineers not only in terms of biology, but in the breadth of engineering. We also review the role of important organizations and conferences in the growth of BME, special features of BME education, first placements of BME graduates, and a few challenges to address in the future.

Various changes in intellectual disability policies and practices encourage care organizations to look for new ways to provide their services. In their search, organizations often look at the possibilities of technology for shaping their service portfolio. One way in which technology can be used is to organize and deliver support remotely. The Dutch service provider organisation Philadelphia Care Foundation (PCF) developed and implemented the remote support service DigiContact as one component of a broader range of services for independently living people with intellectual disabilities. The service provides support for day-to-day living through video calls or regular (audio-only) telephone calls with a team of specially trained support workers. The service is 24/7 available and its support can be deployed on demand by people with intellectual disabilities themselves: whenever and wherever this is needed. Since the start of DigiContact, PCF has felt the need to monitor and evaluate the service in terms of its quality and usefulness. In this context, a better understanding of what the service can (and cannot) contribute to the lives of people with intellectual disabilities is essential. This thesis aims to gather knowledge regarding the added value of including DigiContact in a broader offer of services for people with intellectual disabilities who live independently in society. Five separate studies were performed that explored mainly the personal experiences of people closely involved in the DigiContact support process: support users (people with intellectual disabilities), their case workers (support workers who provide onsite support and coordinate services around support users), and DigiContact support workers. An inclusive approach to research was adopted, as this was expected to enrich both research processes and findings. This approach was shaped in the form of a collaboration between the PhD candidate and a researcher with intellectual disabilities. The findings of this thesis indicate that including DigiContact in a broader offer of services can be valuable to (supporting) people with intellectual disabilities living in their own homes in society, in several ways. To begin with, DigiContact contributes to more opportunities for providing people with professional and specialized support that is closely aligned with their personal needs and preferences. DigiContact can contribute to more tailor-made professional support by broadening the available support options, by enabling the provision of sufficient support and by enhancing the continuity in the delivery of support. In addition, DigiContact provides a unique entry point for improving people’s functioning and well-being; its support has been found to enlarge the opportunities for making choices and taking decisions, can help to prevent (larger) problems as well as an accumulation of stress, and can play a valuable role in the learning and strengthening of adaptive skills. At the same time, the findings also emphasize that there are limitations to what the DigiContact service can do for its users, and that it is not equally suitable for every person and situation. It is therefore not a ‘one size fits all’ service. The value of DigiContact support seems to lie often in its combination with onsite support (a blended care form), which enables people with intellectual disabilities to make decisions regarding which type of support suits their needs and preferences (in a given situation) best. In this respect, onsite support and DigiContact support can complement each other so that people can benefit from ‘the best of both worlds’. Based on the findings of this thesis, several implications for policy, practice and research are formulated. Although these implications are specifically related to the DigiContact service, they may also be of interest to other remote support initiatives and service organizations who are planning (or considering) to offer remote support.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately and severely affected older adults, namely those living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Aside from experiencing high mortality rates, survivors were critically concerned by social isolation and loneliness (SIL). To address this serious public health concern and stay connected with LTCF residents, information and communication technology (ICT) platforms (eg, video calls) were used as an alternative to maintaining social interactions amid the visiting restriction policy. This paper aimed to synthesize the effects of ICT-related communication interventions using SMS text messaging or chat, video, voice mail, or photo to address SIL in LTCF residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 2793 references published in English and French in 2019 and onward were obtained from 10 relevant databases: PsycINFO-Ovid, Ovid-MEDLINE, CINAHL-EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, DirectScience, Communication & Mass Media Complete, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library. A 2-person screening approach was used, and the studies were screened independently and blindly. A narrative synthesis was performed to interpret the results of the included studies, and their quality was appraised. In total, 4 studies were included in the review. ICT-related applications were used to ensure connectedness to address SIL. ICT interventions consisted mainly of videoconferencing, intergroup video call sessions between residents, and chatting (SMS text messages and phone calls). Roughly 3 classes of mediating ICT tools were used: video calls using software applications (eg, Skype); robot systems embedding video telephones; and ordinary telecommunication such as telephone, internet, social media platforms, and videoconferencing. This review has included the role of humanoid robots in LTCFs as an innovation avenue because of their multipurpose use (eg, communication tools and remotely operable). Remote social capitalization through ICT applications has become an avenue to reduce SIL among LTCF residents. This review examined a social connection approach that will remain relevant and even be fostered after the COVID-19 pandemic. As families remain the main stakeholders of LTCFs, this study's findings could inform policy makers and frontline managers to better shape programs and initiatives to prevent or reduce SIL in LTCFs. RR2-10.2196/36269.

This paper describes the outcome based education (OBE) implementation and continuous quality improvement (CQI) process plan in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Malaya. The implementation of CQI plan is a part of the Outcome – based Education (OBE) approach required by the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) for recognition of Biomedical Engineering program and as a graduate student for Board of Engineer Malaysia (BEM) and Institute of Engineer Malaysia (IEM) membership registration. This approach was first introduced to Biomedical Engineering Department since 2005. The measurement on Programme Outcomes (POs) which will be evaluated upon graduation is done based on the results of sub-Programme Outcome (subPOs) which are evaluated at the end of each course. The improvement on assessment and evaluation process are continuously done to obtain the better achievement of POs and programme educational objectives (PEO)s in the department of Biomedical Engineering.

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This talk presents results of ongoing research and educational collaboration between the School of Art + Design (SoA+D) and the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at New Jersey Institute of Technology. This collaboration began when researchers from BME became aware of a series of projects by digital design students from SoA+D producing virtual games that interface with fabricated physical design prototypes with microcontrollers through the use of the Unity 3D game engine as an application hub to connect the virtual and real worlds. The BME researchers had developed a novel admittance-controlled haptic robotic exoskeleton for assisting the upper extremity motions of people with stroke and cerebral palsy and were seeking to integrate it with an engaging and challenging virtual environment that can retain a user's interest. The result is a user-controlled haptic manipulator that allows individuals with neurological impairment to be therapeutically assisted by the exoskeleton (BME) while haptically interacting with virtual objects in a 3-D animated environment (SoA+D). The talk also introduces a new cross-disciplinary educational approach employing expertise of both academic units.

The Biomedical Engineering Department of Rajalakshmi Engineering College (REC) is hosting an International Conference, RIBE2023, on July 27-28, in a hybrid mode. The conference encompasses several tracks covering emerging and active areas of research and innovation in the field of Biomedical Engineering, in both academia and the healthcare industry. These include Biomedical Signal Processing, Medical Imaging and Processing, Biomedical Instrumentation, Rehabilitation and Artificial Organs, Biomechanics and Robotics for Healthcare, Non-invasive Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy, IoT-based Assistive Technology for Healthcare, and Nano and Micro: 3D Structure and Imaging. This initiative offers an excellent platform for professionals, students, faculty, and industry experts to share their experiences and foster collaborations for future pursuits. The event is organized by the REC faculty and the students of the Biomedical Engineering Department, offering an opportunity for participants to delve into the breadth and depth of the field, prepare for future challenges, and be part of the transformation in healthcare. Keywords: Biomedical Engineering, International Conference, RIBE2023, Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Healthcare Innovation, Medical Imaging, Biomedical Instrumentation, Rehabilitation, Artificial Organs, Biomechanics, Robotics for Healthcare, Non-invasive Technologies, IoT-based Assistive Technology, Nano and Micro, 3D Structure and Imaging, Academia, Industry Collaboration, Rapid Learning, Digital Transformation.

International Journal of Imaging Systems and TechnologyVolume 33, Issue 1 p. 3-5 EDITORIAL Preparing a successful Special Issue proposal Mohamed L. Seghier, Corresponding Author Mohamed L. Seghier [email protected] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Correspondence Mohamed L. Seghier, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author Mohamed L. Seghier, Corresponding Author Mohamed L. Seghier [email protected] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Correspondence Mohamed L. Seghier, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 December 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/ima.22834Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume33, Issue1January 2023Pages 3-5 RelatedInformation

Born on other applications, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) grew on the promise of biomedical engineering applications. In this research we suggest system architecture for smart healthcare, based on a novel WSN. Our system particularly targets assisted-living residents and others who may help from continuous remote health monitoring. We present the objectives, advantages, and status of the design. An experimental livelihood space has been constructed at the Department of Biomedical Engineering (DBE) at Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) for assessment of our system. A ten days monitoring and experimental results suggest a physically powerful potential for WSNs to open new research area in biomedical engineering, i.e. for low-cost, ad hoc use of multimodal sensors for a better quality of medical care.

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Objective: A patient communication program was implemented as a response to hospitals visiting restrictive policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the program was to facilitate communication between patients and families, mainly through the use of digital tablets; thus program performance was evaluated by selecting the number of calls performed, the average call time, and the percentage of patients that used the program more than once. Methods: A communication service for hospitalized patients who did not have access to a personal electronic device or were unable to use their electronic device was launched at different MUHC hospitals. A dedicated team of re-deployed employees was available to help patients connect with their loved ones using a hospital tablet or telephone. Results: A total of 806 calls were performed between April and November 2020. Eighty one percent of the calls were performed during the non-visitors policy implementation, being video calls preferred over phone calls. The average call time was 15 min, 34% of the patients had a video call with their loved one more than once and 40% of the calls were performed in the intensive care unit. Conclusion: The patient communication program can be described as a new delivery model of compassionate care. It was effective, helped reduce patients’ isolation and met the needs of family members and caregivers during the hospital non-visitors policy directed by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux de Québec during the Covid-19 pandemic.