Technical physicians will soon be permanently included in the BIG-register, the Dutch register for healthcare professionals. This means that these professionals will be authorized to perform medical procedures independently. That is the advice of an evaluation committee after a pilot during which technical physicians already received a temporary BIG registration. Based on the very positive outcome of the pilot, Bruno Bruins, the Minister of Medical Care and sports, intends to submit a bill paving the way for permanent registration, according to a letter to Parliament. Technical physicians are a new group of healthcare professionals that originated at the University of Twente.
World-first
The University of Twente designed the Technical Medicine programme, premiering it in 2003 as a world-first. The programme is a response to the tremendous changes taking place in healthcare and the ever-expanding use of technology in this field. Technical physicians are specialists who are uniquely capable of combining expertise in the fields of technology and medicine. They perform complex, technical/medical procedures, thus enhancing patient care. The programme has grown to become a fully-fledged, new healthcare discipline in the Netherlands.
Important step
Heleen Miedema, founder and UT’s programme director of Technical Medicine, is very happy with the positive evaluation. “This is an important step for this professional group, for the University of Twente and for healthcare in general. We are very grateful that Minister Bruins intends to submit a bill. We see this as acknowledgement of our hard work and recognition of our foresight as we endeavoured through the years to create a new healthcare discipline that would really improve patient care.”
Positive evaluation
As part of a pilot, technical physicians, also known as clinical technologists, had been allowed to perform medical procedures independently over the past several years. The evaluation of the pilot, conducted by researchers from Maastricht University Medical Center, indicates that patients are very satisfied with the care provided by technical physicians, and that these professionals carried out the medical procedures properly. The researchers conclude moreover that granting clinical technologists this new authorization will result in more efficient and effective healthcare. Minister Bruins has embraced the researchers’ recommendations and will submit a bill to include this group of healthcare professionals in the BIG register.
