Clinical engineering education programs are underdeveloped or nonexistent in most
developing countries and even in some industrialized countries. The World Health
Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and other international bodies concerned with health care infrastructure development have collaborated
with the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) in the development and
implementation of an Advanced Clinical Engineering Workshop (ACEW) program to
address educational needs. This chapter presents a ten-year retrospective of the ACEW.
Approximately 1000 participants, including faculty, represented over 50 countries in
planning the program, and this chapter also includes the mechanics of the ACEW development, implementation, and review. Participants at the 18 ACEWs thus far include
health care decision makers, hospital administrators, health ministry officials, nurses,
allied health professionals, physicians, and clinical engineers. Results have been positive.
Programs in clinical engineering education have arisen, participants have advanced in
positions of leadership, governmental health technology management policies have been
developed, and clinical engineers have successfully completed requirements for clinical
engineering certification.