As defined by the National Academy of Engineering (CIEBM, 1971), the biomedical engineering discipline “is divided into three broad areas, namely: 1) the application of engineering concepts and technology to scientific enquiries into biological phenomena as a basis for advancing the understanding of biological systems; 2) the utilization of engineering concepts and technology in the development of instrumentation, materials, diagnostic and therapeutic devices, artificial organs, and other constructs relevant to applications in biology and medicine (this is applied Biomedical Engineering - sometimes referred to as simply Medical Engineering); 3) the application of engineering concepts, methodology and technology to the improvement of health service delivery systems in the broad context of interrelated institutions (hospital, clinics, governmental units, universities, industry, etc.) as well as within the specific confines of individual components of the health care system (this is frequently referred to as Clinical Engineering)." The broad field of interfacing biology, engineering, and clinical sciences is also referred to as Bioengineering

Thus, biomedical engineering is a broad discipline and includes a wide variety of topics as listed in the table:

THE DISCIPLINE OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Biotechnology	to create or modify biologic material for beneficial ends, including tissue engineering
Physiologic Modeling, Simulation and Control	use of mathematical, physical modeling and computer simulations to develop an understanding of physiologic relationship
Biologic Effects of Electromagnetic Fields	study of the effects of electromagnetic fields on biologic tissue
Biomechanics	study of static and fluid mechanics associated with physiologic systems
Biosystems	integrative biology, bioinformatics, complex systems analysis, in silico biology
Biomedical Instrumentation	to monitor and measure physiologic events: involves development of biosensors to detect physiologic/biologic events and convert them to measurable signals
Medical Imaging	to provide graphic displays of anatomic details and physiologic function
Prosthetic Devices and Artificial Organs	design and development of devices for replacement or augmentation of bodily function
Rehabilitation Engineering	design and development of therapeutic rehabilitation devices and procedures
Ergonomics	application of scientific knowledge to the design of devices, objects, and environment for human use
Medical Informatics	of patients-related data, interpret results and assist in clinical decision making, including expert systems and neural networks
Clinical engineering	design and development of clinically related facilities, devices, systems, and procedures
Enderle J.D., Blanchard S.M., Bronzino J.D. (2000), Biomedical engineering: a history perspective, in Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1-28 Pacela A. (1990), Bioengineering Education Directory. Quest, Brea, CA