title: Healthcare Engineering Defined: A White Paper.
abstract: Engineering has been playing an important role in serving and advancing healthcare. The term "Healthcare Engineering" has been used by professional societies, universities, scientific authors, and the healthcare industry for decades. However, the definition of "Healthcare Engineering" remains ambiguous. The purpose of this position paper is to present a definition of Healthcare Engineering as an academic discipline, an area of research, a field of specialty, and a profession. Healthcare Engineering is defined in terms of what it is, who performs it, where it is performed, and how it is performed, including its purpose, scope, topics, synergy, education/training, contributions, and prospects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering; Coordinator, Healthcare Engineering Graduate Program, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Ming-Chien
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chyu
authors.affiliation: Helicon Health Ltd., London, UK.
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Austin
authors.affiliation: Industrial Engineering Department; Dean, Management Faculty, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fethi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Calisir
authors.affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center - Permian Basin (Odessa, Midland, Abilene and Dallas), Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Samuel
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authors.lastname: Chanjaplammootil
authors.affiliation: Operational & Clinical Excellence Leader, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas, Texas, USA.
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authors.initials: MJ
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authors.affiliation: Computer Science Department, Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada, Ensenada, Mexico.
authors.forename: Jesus
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authors.lastname: Favela
authors.affiliation: Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, King's Health Partners, London, UK.
authors.forename: Heng
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authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
authors.forename: Amit
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authors.affiliation: Texas Back Institute Research Foundation, Plano, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Ram
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authors.lastname: Haddas
authors.affiliation: University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Shoshana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hahn-Goldberg
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering Group, E.T.S. Ingenieros de Telecomunicación, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hornero
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Yu-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Øystein
authors.initials: Ø
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yamaguchi University, Japan.
authors.forename: Zhongwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Katsanis
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Engineering, Chosun University, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Gladius
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authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: University of New South Wales, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Nigel H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Lovell
authors.affiliation: Surgical Planning Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.|University Hospital and Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Heinz-Theo
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Luebbers
authors.affiliation: Physical Plant & Support Services, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: George G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy
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authors.lastname: Matis
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and University Center for Social and Urban Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA.
authors.forename: Judith T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.affiliation: Healthcare Engineering Division, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Lukasz
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authors.lastname: Mazur
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
authors.forename: Eddie Yin-Kwee
authors.initials: EY
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authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Clinics, Covenant Medical Group; Chief, Section of Internal Medicine, Covenant Hospital, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
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authors.lastname: Ormand
authors.affiliation: SINTEF, Technology and Society, Hospital Planning, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Tarald
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authors.lastname: Rohde
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Telemedicine Research Group, University of Cadiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniel
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authors.lastname: Sánchez-Morillo
authors.affiliation: Extremadura Public Healthcare Service, University of Extremadura, Spain.
authors.forename: Justo García
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Sanz-Calcedo
authors.affiliation: Polystim Neurotechnology Lab, Polytechnique, University of Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Mohamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sawan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Chwan-Li
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Yuan Ze University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jiann-Shing
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Shieh
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chao-Ton
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: School of Systems Engineering, University of Reading, UK.
authors.forename: Lilly
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authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Department of Electrical Engineering; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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authors.affiliation: 3D Surgical Planning Lab - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Imaging & Pathology/OMFS-IMPATH Research Group, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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authors.initials: SN
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authors.affiliation: Chief Quality Officer-Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Sections of Critical Care and Cardiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: College of Management Science & Engineering, Dongbei University of Finance and Economic, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Chongjun
authors.initials: C
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authors.affiliation: Dean, Glassell Family Foundation Distinguished Chair, Dr. Doris L. Ross Professor, School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Jiajie
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authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Yuan-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004738:Engineering; D006801:Humans