Education

We are motivated to inspire students and researchers to work on innovative solutions for global health by educating them on :

- How to design context-specific medical equipment by using our design method

- Understanding the working principles of medical devices frequently used in hospital settings

- Effective use of 3D printing in Global Health settings

We provided courses for students in and outside of TU Delft.

We have developed five free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) focusing on Biomedical Engineering practices in low-resource settings.

MOOC 1: Biomedical Equipment- repairing and maintaining biomedical devices

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This free massive online open course (MOOC) has been designed by the interdisciplinary collaboration of both TU Delft biomedical engineers as well as the local expertise of the medical technicians of the Nick Simons Institute in Nepal to help new and emerging biomedical engineers/technicians working in low-income hospitals to care for biomedical equipment.

The goal of this course is: to understand the working of biomedical devices that are frequently used in a hospital setting. And tevelop the skills required to effectively maintain and troubleshoot hospital-based devices to increase their availability and usage in hospitals.

Since, maintaining and troubleshooting sophisticated medical instruments is not an easy task.

This course provides a compilation of the techniques hospitals use to effectively maintain and troubleshoot medical devices so that repair time is reduced and the availability and safety of the medical devices is improved. Completing this course adds a complementary skill set to prior competence of the learner to perform maintenance routines and diagnose problems in sophisticated equipment with care. A faster service routine will help smoothen the process flow of the hospital and help extend the care to more patients. On a personal level, the learner can rely on the knowledge gained from this course as ‘the blueprint’ for whenever they have to maintain/troubleshoot any medical device.

What You'll Learn

Understand the basics of a variety of commonly used diagnostic, therapeutic and laboratory instruments
Effectively maintain, troubleshoot and repair biomedical instruments
Sharpen the skill set of troubleshooting a biomedical instrument in a short period of time.
Reduce the repair time and cost by using effective proven strategies and practices.

MOOC 2: Biomedical Equipment: A Practical Approach to Health Technology Management

Enroll now!

This free massive open online course (MOOC) has been designed by the interdisciplinary collaboration of both TU Delft biomedical engineers as well as the local expertise of the medical technicians of the Nick Simons Institute in Nepal, to help new and emerging biomedical engineers/technicians working in low-income hospitals to care for biomedical equipment.

The goal of this course is to enhance your knowledge and skills in effective methods of managing the lifespan of biomedical equipment in a limited-resource environment.

With limited resources increasingly prevalent, healthcare technology management is often a challenge. Through this course, we offer a practical approach to healthcare management that is tailored to this particular healthcare environment. The course will help you manage uncertainties, defects, and/or the unavailability of resources and personnel that may prevent proper and effective healthcare.

This course is designed for health technology/facility managers and biomedical engineers operating in limited resource settings to help preserve quality health services by sharing ways to manage the life cycle of biomedical devices effectively and efficiently. The course focuses on the entire equipment life cycle from planning, budgeting, and purchasing to daily operation, decommissioning, and disposal.

After completing this course, learners can make better decisions and chart systematic plans for managing biomedical equipment at their healthcare center.

What you'll learn:

Understanding the principles and tools of healthcare technology management
Plan, assess, and create a budget for biomedical equipment, procurement, and maintenance
Acquire relevant and appropriate biomedical equipment for companies and donors
Manage operating biomedical equipment
Overcome pitfalls and challenges to manage biomedical equipment effectively in limited-resource settings.

MOOC 3: Équipements Biomédicaux: une approche pratique de la gestion des technologies de la santé

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With this free massive open online course (MOOC), you can improve your knowledge and skills in effective methods of managing the lifecycle of biomedical equipment in a resource-limited environment.

Avec des ressources limitées et de plus en plus répandues, la gestion des technologies de santé (ou Healthcare Technology Management - HTM) est souvent un défi. À travers ce cours, nous proposons une approche pratique de la gestion des technologies de la santé adaptée à cet environnement particulier. Le cours vous aidera à gérer les incertitudes, les défauts et/ou l'indisponibilité des ressources et du personnel qui empêchent de fournir des soins de santé appropriés et efficaces.

Ce cours est conçu pour les gestionnaires d'établissements de santé et les ingénieurs/techniciens biomédicaux travaillant dans des contextes aux ressources limitées . Ce cours est conçu pour aider à préserver des services de santé de qualité tout en expliquant les moyens de gérer le cycle de vie des dispositifs biomédicaux de manière efficace. Le cours se concentre sur l'ensemble du cycle de vie des équipements biomédicaux, depuis la planification, la budgétisation et l'achat jusqu'à l'exploitation quotidienne, la mise hors service et l'élimination de ces équipements.

Ayant conclu ce cours, les apprenants seront en mesure de prendre des meilleures décisions et d'élaborer des plans systématiques de gestion des équipements biomédicaux dans leur établissement de santé.

What you'll learn:

Comprendre les principes et les outils de HTM/gestion des technologies de la santé
• Planifier, évaluer et créer un budget pour l'approvisionnement et la maintenance des équipements biomédicaux
• Acquérir du matériel biomédical pertinent et adapté auprès des entreprises et des donateurs
• Gérer l’utilisation et le fonctionnement des équipements biomédicaux
• Surmonter les pièges et les défis pour gérer efficacement les équipements biomédicaux dans des contextes aux ressources limitées

MOOC 4: Safe Use of Medical Devices in Clinical Practice

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How can you use medical devices to keep both patients and equipment safe? This course helps you develop the basic skills in handling essential medical devices with a strong focus on patient safety and proper device functionality.

From monitoring vital signs to delivering life-saving interventions, essential medical devices are the core of healthcare. ECG devices, patient monitors, syringe pumps and drivers, suction machines, oxygen concentrators and defibrillators are used every day to support patients at critical moments. Their safe and effective use requires some expertise; it also demands knowledge, skills and confidence.

In this online training, you will learn how to use these devices responsibly, with patient safety and device functionality as guiding principles. The course covers not only how to operate them correctly, but also how to clean, store and maintain them to ensure reliability over time.

The course is structured in clear modules with plenty of exercises, quizzes and case scenarios designed to prepare you for real-world practice.

This training focuses on medical devices in low-resource settings. While some of the models featured may be considered older in high-resources contexts, they are still widely used in hospitals and clinics around the world. Therefore, they are well suited for this training in safe and effective use.

This course is intended for nurses, medical staff, (nursing) students, biomedical technicians, medical officers and anyone with limited training in the use of medical devices. The course will be helpful for positions such as a nurse, medical staff member or (nursing) student, a biomedical technician or medical officer seeking practical training in device use, a healthcare professional or trainee already working in healthcare, who wants to strengthen their skills in medical device use.

MOOC 5: 3D printing in Healthcare: A Practical Guide

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Learn to use filament 3D printing to design and produce biomedical spare parts, assistive tools and training devices to enhance equipment maintenance and healthcare delivery in resource-limited hospital settings.

This course is designed for healthcare professionals, biomedical technicians, clinical engineers and students in technical fields who are involved, or preparing to be, in the maintenance of medical equipment in low-resource healthcare settings.

In many hospitals and clinics, especially in low-resource settings, medical devices often become unusable due to the lack of affordable spare parts and there is often also a shortage of locally available assistive and training devices that could strengthen healthcare delivery. This course equips you with the knowledge and practical skills to address these issues using filament 3D printing technologies.

A hands-on approach
Participants will explore how 3D printing can be used to design and manufacture spare parts for biomedical equipment, as well as to create low-cost assistive tools (such as mobility aids and adaptive devices) and training models that support clinical education. Through hands-on modules, you will understand the core principles of additive manufacturing and gain familiarity with 3D printing tools, materials and techniques suitable for healthcare contexts. Using CAD software, students will learn to design replacement parts and apply principles of iterative prototyping to improve design quality and performance.

Beyond design, the course also focuses on how to operate and maintain low-cost 3D printers, troubleshoot common issues and ensure that printed components meet safety and functionality standards. You will be introduced to practical case studies and real-world examples to understand the challenges and opportunities of implementing 3D printing in resource-limited healthcare contexts.

By the end of the course, you will be able to independently design, produce, and evaluate spare parts, assistive devices and training tools using 3D printing. You will also be empowered to contribute to open-source communities and implement sustainable repair practices in your own institutions or regions. This course has the potential to significantly enhance your professional impact, allowing you to extend the lifespan of medical equipment, reduce downtime and improve healthcare delivery in resource-constrained settings.