Research and development in bioengineering and medical technology, conducted during recent decades, have led to spectacular progress in clinical medicine. These achievements have triggered an enormous increase in the number of courses offered in the areas of bioengineering, clinical technology and medical informatics; nowadays, most major universities offer curricula oriented towards these fields. The majority of participants however come from engineering backgrounds and so modules dealing with basic biological and medical sciences have been included. These have been facilitated by the ready availability of textbooks in this area, many of which were specifically written for nursing A & P (Anatomy & Physiology) programmes
