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School of Engineering

ES97F Health Technology Engineering 2018

Module Assessment 2017/18

This module is 100% assessed via coursework and group project (i.e. no final examination).

The Coursework (40%) consists in writing an individual assay and a power point presentation on a medical device chosen by the Student in agreement with the module leader. Here the instructions for each component of the coursework:

  • Report (deadline Week 20) (PDF Document) briefing
  • Oral Presentation on Individual Essay (deadline Week 23 (PDF Document) briefing

The Group Project (60%) consists in a systematic literature on a topic chosen by the module leader. The marking of this group project has been conceived in order to give to the Students a exemplar of a journal paper submission process. Therefore, this group project consist of three phases:

  • Interim Report submission (deadline Week 23) (PDF Document) briefing
  • Oral Presentation (deadline Week 24) (PDF Document) briefing
  • Final Report submission (deadline Week 30) (PDF Document) briefing

Module lectures 2017/18

Lecture 1 (09.01.2018): intro to the module

In this lecture an overview of the module was given

  • Introduction to the module. Reading material: ppt
Lecture 2 (09.01.2018): Pacemakers

In this lecture an exemplar of medical device report was given, aiming to illustrate how to structure the individual assay assignment.

Lecture 3 (11.01.2018): eLearning

This lecture provide solid background to the topics that will be critically reviewed in the next two weeks. Students are required to deepen those topics so that they can proactively discuss those contents with lectures in the next two weeks.

Lecture 4 (16.01.2018): Evidence Based Medicine (EBM)

This lecture aims to provide a critical review on evidence generation in medicine and how this is relevant for medical devices design and biomedical engineering.

  • Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) and evidence generation for medical devices: ppt.
Lecture 5 (16.01.2018): Systematic Literature Review with Meta-analysis

This lecture aims to provide a critical review on "Systematic Literature Review with Meta-analysis" and how this is relevant for medical devices design and biomedical engineering.

  • Systematic Literature Review with Meta-analysis: ppt.
LAB1. Lecture 6-7 (18-23.01.2018): Meta-analysis

With these lectures, students were introduced to meta-analysis and learned how to run a meta-analysis using a free software tool.

  • Refer to the email sent 16 and 18 of January 2018 for the teaching material.
  • Deepening: video.
Lecture 8 (30.01.2018): Health services market.

This lecture was a guided discussion on three topics: what determines the equilibriumbetween demand and offer in healthcare, health as a duty or a right, consequences of limited budget, asymmetric knowledge and the need for Health Technology Assessment (HTA).

Lecture 9 (30.01.2018): Health Technology Assessment (HTA)

This lecture introduced fundamental concepts of HTA

  • Slides: HTA
  • Deepening on Cost-Effectiveness thresholds (WHO Bulletin 2015; 93): Marseille 2015
  • Video: 2018 lecture in post-processing, other lectures available here
Lecture 10 (01.02.2018): Principles of health economics

This lecture introduced fundamental concepts of health economics presenting and discussing, with practical exemplar, the main economic analysis methods.

  • Slides: health economics
  • Exercises: ppt, solutions
  • Video: 2018 lecture in post-processing, other lectures available here
Lecture 11-12 (06.02.2018, 2 hours): Medical Devices regulation and Health Technology Management

This lecture was given by Prof Nicola Pallikarakis, University of Patras, Greece, which introduced the students to the principles of clinical engineering and healt technology management.

Seminar 1 (06.02.2018): Medical Technology & Biomedical Engineering Education

This seminar was given by Prof Nicola Pallikarakis, University of Patras, Greece. Details here.

Lecture 13 (08.02.2018): Technologies for motor monitoring and stability assessment

This lecture was given by Prof Rita Stagni, University Alma Mater of Bologna, Italy

  • Video: lecture in post-processing
Seminar 2 (08.02.2018): Technologies for motor monitoring and stability assessment

This seminar was given by Prof Rita Stagni, University Alma Mater of Bologna, Italy. Details here.

Lecture 14-15 (13.02.2018, 2 hours): Early Stage Health Technology Assessment (HTA)

This lecture introduced students to the methodology called early stage Health Technology Assessment (eHTA). eHTA consist in applying reverse engineering to standard methods of HTA in order to inform the design, research and development of innovative health technologies. This allows maximising the impact of innovative healthcare technologies by considering from the very early stage HTA constrains that, if not properly considered, may limit the diffusion of the healthcare innovation.

  • Slides: ppt
  • Book Chapter: Pecchia et al. (2015). Early stage Healthcare Technology Assessment. in Miniati et al. Clinical Engineering: From Devices to Systems, Chapter 8. Available as eBook at the Warwick Library: link.
  • Deepening:
LAB: Lecture 16 (15.02.2018, 1 hour): lab on eHTA

This lab will consist in using a web tool to perform eHTA assessment via few states Markov Models.

  • Video: link1 link2(better audio) Lecture from the First IFMBE Summer School on HTA, 10.09.2015, Dr M. Craven (eHTA tool designer)
  • Lab briefing: without solutions, with solutions (To be released next Tuesday)

Last year module Lectures (2016/17)

Lecture 1 (10.01.2011, 2 hours): intro to the module, MD and BME trends

In this lecture, after giving an overview of the module, Medical Devices and Biomedical Engineering international trends were presented.

  • Introduction to the module. Reading material: ppt
  • Medical Devices and Biomedical Engineering international trends: ppt

Lecture 2 (17.01.2017, 2 hour): HTA

Fundamental concepts of health economy and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) were presented and discussed. Reflections on the 'Healthcare Market’ were presented and analyzed critically with the students.

  • Introduction to Healthcare Market and to Health Technology Assessment. Reading material: ppt, Market, HTA

Lecture 3 (19.01.2017, 1 hour): HTA lab

Lab 1 HTA: 4 guided exercises were presented. Students had the time to solve those exercises and then discuss the solution with the module leader.

Lecture 4 (24.01.2017, 2 hours): Meta-Analysis

In this lecture, the theoretical concepts of meta-analyses have been introduced.

  • Meta-analysis: ppt, book (the library is full of books on meta-analysis, many also eBook).

Lecture 5 (26.01.2017, 2 hours): Pacemakers

In this lecture, a medical device was introduced as exemplar for the individual assay (see coursework). Pacemakers where chosen as exemplar of significant BME contribution in Medicine. The lecture covered theoretical and practical aspects on pacemaker design, implants and follow-up.

  • Pacemakers: ppt
  • Deepening: pdf

Lecture 6 (31.01.2017, 2 hours of which 1 via eLearning): Meta-Analysis lab 1

Lab 2 Metanalysis: introduction to free software for metanalysis, which can be installed on Windows and Mac:

  • Software Tool (OpenMeta-analist): refer to my email of the 25.01.2017
  • Online videos on the software: Link
  • Deepening on Evidence in Medicin: eLearning object (Prof S. Stranges) version1, version2
  • Deepening on Metanalysis: eLearning object (Dr L Pecchia) version1, version2

Lecture 7 (02.02.2017, 1 hour): Meta-Analysis lab 2

Lab 3 Metanalysis: practicals exercise were performed using free software, which can be installed on Windows and Mac:

  • Lab briefing: pdf
  • Guided solution via the software: ppt

Lecture 8 (07.02.2017, 2 hours) [Seminar]: HTA and early HTA

Seminar Stefania Manetti, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. After introducing the main principles of the cost-effectiveness approach consistent with the mainstream Health Technology Assessment (HTA) framework, this talk explored the early HTA state of art and whether it could support the development process and provide a more solid foundation for the next phase of the reimbursement strategy.

  • LectureCapture: link

Lecture 9 (14.02.2017, 2 hours): early stage Health Technology Assessment (HTA).

This lecture will start a series of lectures on early stage Health Technology Assessment (HTA). Early HTA refers to a methodological approach that applied reverse engineering to standard methods of HTA in order to inform the design, research and development of innovative health technologies. This allows maximising the impact of innovative healthcare technologies by considering from the very early stage HTA constrains that, if not properly considered, may limit the diffusion of the healthcare innovation.

Lecture 10 (16.02.2017, 1 hour): lab on eHTA

Lab 4 eHTA: this lab will consist in using a web tool to perform eHTA assessment via few states Markov Models.

  • eHTA via Markov Models: Link (First IFMBE Summer School on HTA, 10.09.2015, Dr M. Craven)
  • (optional) eHTA via Decision Trees: Link (First IFMBE Summer School on HTA, 9.09.2015, Dr M. Craven)
  • Lab briefing: without solutions, with solutions (To be released next Tuesday)


Lecture 11 (21.02.2017, 2 hour): Seminar on Strategic Management (Sebastiano Massaro) and guided lab on systematic litterature search.

Lab 4 systematic litterature search: the lecture covers the following topics: evidence sources (scientific conferences/journal, peer review principles), scientific literature repositories (ISI, SCOPUS, PUBMED), systematic electronic search. In order to prepare the lab, few eLearning contents have been prepared and collected here for students’ reference:

Lecture 12 (23.02.2017, 1 hour): Safety and Ergonomy.


Lecture 13 (28.02.2017, 1 hour): Healthcare Technology Management (HTM)

These lectures introduces the main concepts of the Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) and how to organize a HTM service.

  • Lecture: slides, handhouts
  • WHO Guide 1: How to Organize a System of Healthcare Technology Management, link

Lecture 14 (02.03.2017, 2 hours): electrical safety of medical devices.

This lecture will introduce the main topics regarding the electrical safety of medical devices.

Lecture 15 (07.03.2017, 2 hours): Student project presentations.

Lecture 16 (09.03.2017, 2 hours): Group project discussion.

Lecture 17 (14.03.2017, 2 hours): Group project presentation and discussion.