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Introduction to Clinical Engineering & Physiological Systems - ELE00068H

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  • Department: Electronic Engineering
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23

Module summary

Mathematical and engineering sciences are used to highlight principles governing the function of physiological systems. Simulation of normal and disease states are used in understanding, devising, and testing systems for intervention. This module aims to equip students with the foundational knowledge on the interface between engineering and medicine at the biological, physiological and clinical levels. The module will aim to convey the general engineering principles governing the body coordinating and integrating systems, the design and realisation of such medical devices, and the introduction of technology to hospitals and healthcare settings.

Learning will be achieved through case studies, exercises, models, and laboratory exercises.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Spring Term 2022-23 to Summer Term 2022-23

Module aims

Subject content aims:

  • Introduce physical features and engineering principles governing the principal body coordinating and integrating systems.

  • Develop integrative understanding of circulatory, heart (ECG) and brain electrical (EEG) activities, cell membrane, and nervous systems.

  • Develop understanding of the introduction of technology to hospitals and healthcare settings, including the need for a clinical protocol, ethical and regulatory approvals, GDPR compliance, and post-market surveillance procedures.

  • Develop understanding of the clinical need and representing this within Engineering specifications.

Graduate skills aims:

  • Investigate healthcare challenges, needs, and requirements development.

  • Develop system concepts that are derived from requirements, and then realised in physical and process form.

  • The establishment of means to verify, validate, and deploy healthcare systems that address the need and meet requirements.

Module learning outcomes

Subject content learning outcomes

After successful completion of this module, students will:

  • Understand and explain anatomy, physiology, pathology, biology, and chemistry in the context of biomedical device development.

  • Understand and apply the design and range of medical devices and technology involved to understand pain management, medicine delivery systems, monitoring and evaluating equipment and imaging systems etc.

  • Demonstrate an understanding of genetic technology and explain its clinical interpretation.

  • Demonstrate an understanding of genetic information and explain ethics in biomedical device development.

Graduate skills learning outcomes

After successful completion of this module, students will:

  • Introduce the anatomy and physiological needs for developing medical technology.

  • Develop ability to interpret genomic data, and demonstrate applications based on critical analysis and need identification.

Professional Skills

  • Laboratory practice: Students will be expected to follow good laboratory practice procedures.

  • Health and safety: Students will be introduced to health and safety in the wider context including relevant legislation as it affects product development.

Graduate skills

  • Teamwork: Students will be introduced to the need to establish communications, coordination and control mechanisms within their group to help deliver efficiently and effectively. The groups will be guided in the establishment of these by their academic supervisor. They will be expected to describe their approach and any problems they encountered in their individual report.

  • Research: Students will determine the research needs for their project and seek out appropriate resources. They will be expected to maintain accurate and professional records of their research and report it through accurate and full referencing.

  • Communication: Students will be expected to document the work undertaken in their project to a professional standard, producing appropriate information for technical and non-technical audiences. Examples of technical information include specifications, test reports, etc. Examples of non-technical information include user manuals, etc.

  • Ethics: Groups will be expected to decide, in conjunction with their group academic supervisor, what ethical approval is required and then produce and gain appropriate approval for it.

  • Project management: Students will be introduced to formal project management tools and required to produce a planned and managed project plan.

  • Meetings & meetings management: Students will be expected to record their weekly meetings and track actions allocated. They will be introduced to the concept of Design Reviews and be expected to hold them as part of the project.

  • Risk management: Students will be introduced to risk management as a manageable activity, including how to quantify risks and use a risk register as a tool to manage risks. They will produce a risk register for their project.

  • Time management: Students will be responsible for their own time management and will be expected to write a reflective critique of their time management in the individual section of their project report.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 60
Groupwork 40

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Feedback on demonstration immediately after the demonstration. The Department of Electronic Engineering aims to provide some form of feedback on all formative and summative assessments that are carried out during the degree programme. In general, feedback on any written work/assignments undertaken will be sufficient so as to indicate the nature of the changes needed in order to improve the work. Students are provided with their examination results within 25 working days of the end of any given examination period. The Department will also endeavour to return all coursework feedback within 25 working days of the submission deadline. The Department would normally expect to adhere to the times given, however, it is possible that exceptional circumstances may delay feedback. The Department will endeavour to keep such delays to a minimum. Please note that any marks released are subject to ratification by the Board of Examiners and Senate. Meetings at the start/end of each term provide you with an opportunity to discuss and reflect with your supervisor on your overall performance to date.

Indicative reading

Robert Plonsey and Roger C. Barr (2014) Bioelectricity: A Quantitative Approach. 3rd edition. New York: Springer

Northrop, R.B. (2010) Signals and Systems Analysis In Biomedical Engineering. 2nd edition. Boca Rato: CRC press.

Webster, J.G. (2009) Medical Instrumentation Application and Design. 4th ed. Chichester: Wiley.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.