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WASSCE · 21 topics

Biomedical Science

G3N tutors you through the full WASSCE Biomedical Science syllabus offline — from Biomedical Science Practice, Biosafety, Anatomy and Physiology and more — with adaptive lessons, instant quizzes and exam-ready summaries.

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Syllabus

What you’ll cover in Biomedical Science.

The complete topic outline G3N teaches, mapped to the WASSCE curriculum.

Year 1

7 topics
Biomedical Science Practice
  • Describe what biomedical science is and how scientific investigation is applied in biomedical science.
    • Explain what biomedical science is and what it is not.
    • Identify problems in the society that can be solved by applying biomedical science.
    • Explain how the scientific method can be applied to undertake investigations or address problems in biomedical science.
Biosafety
  • Describe various biohazards and critically analyse their routes of exposure.
    • Discuss the various biohazards as well as the risk groups.
    • Explain the routes of exposure of pathogens to humans.
    • Analyse laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs), including some case studies.
Anatomy and Physiology
  • Identify the various human body systems and establish the interrelations between the systems for life.
    • Explore the structure, functions and parts of the major human body systems involved in communication, power, movement, protection, and homeostasis.
    • Explain the interconnections between the human body systems and how these systems work together to maintain health and homeostasis.
    • Evaluate how the interconnections and interactions of multiple body systems are necessary for life.
Diseases and Disorders
  • Explain what a disease is with examples, identify the symptoms of common diseases and illustrate how the symptoms of diseases lead to diagnosis.
    • Explain what a disease is, including its types such as acute and chronic diseases.
    • Explore how initial symptoms of an illness lead to diagnosis and treatment.
    • Explore the symptoms and factors contributing to sickle cell disease and its impact on humans, including how genetic crossing determines inheritance.
Diagnostic Device
  • Explain medical intervention and identify and describe various diagnostic medical interventions.
    • Explain medical intervention in relation to diagnosis, therapy and prevention.
    • Compare and contrast primitive diagnostic medical interventions and modern diagnostic devices.
    • Explore the significance of the various diagnostic devices used for medical intervention.
Therapeutic Device
  • Identify the forms of therapy and describe the roles of various therapists and the tools they use in healthcare delivery.
    • Identify the various forms of therapy and categorise them into their respective types.
    • Investigate who a therapist is and enumerate the various therapy specialties.
    • Identify the various therapeutic devices used by therapists.
Research and Design in Biomedical Science
  • Use credible online resources to research and propose solutions to healthcare problems.
    • Analyse website content and assess overall credibility of the information based on factors such as source reputation, currency, and accuracy.
    • Use online search engines and journal databases to locate reliable scientific articles.
    • Use different approaches to propose solutions to healthcare problems in the country.
    • Make an effective presentation of scientific information on a healthcare issue.

Year 2

7 topics
Biomedical Science Practice
  • Describe various roles of biomedical scientists in the society.
    • Investigate and discuss a variety of biomedical science careers that relate to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.
    • Discuss and describe the role of biomedical science professionals in forensics.
    • Explore at least two biomedical career fields related to clinical or research studies and describe these career fields.
Biosafety
  • Explain the need for protection from biohazard exposure.
    • Describe features of the biosafety levels (BSL-1 through BSL-4) and proper laboratory practice for each level.
    • Demonstrate proper setup of a biosafety cabinet and its environment, including identifying and reducing risks such as spillage, sharp objects and improper labelling.
    • Demonstrate proper methods for donning and removal of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, lab coats, eye protection and respiratory protection to prevent cross-contamination.
Anatomy and Physiology
  • Identify the various regions of the brain, describe their functions and their interconnectedness with some body systems for communication.
    • Explain the role the brain and brain mapping play in the communication system of the human body, including the structural and functional characteristics of each brain region and the specific functions of the lobes of the cerebral cortex (motor, sensory, auditory and visual cortexes).
    • Determine how communication works in the body through neurons using electrical impulses and chemical signals, including membrane potentials, action potentials and reflex actions.
    • Describe the importance of technological tools in biomedical sciences to measure parameters associated with communication in the human body, including the electroencephalogram (EEG) and interpretation of brain wave patterns (alpha, beta, theta and delta waves).
Diseases and Disorders
  • Describe how malfunctions in the nervous and endocrine systems affect other body systems and lifestyle.
    • Explain how serious nervous system disorders such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and spinal cord injuries impact quality of life, including resulting symptoms like paralysis, muscle weakness, poor coordination, loss of sensation, seizures and altered consciousness.
    • Interpret the symptoms and physical characteristics of a given patient to determine an endocrine system malfunction such as hyperthyroidism, including how hormones controlling mood, development and growth function.
    • Identify and discuss the causes, symptoms, treatments, effects and impact of diabetes on the human body and human lifestyle, including the connection between insulin and blood glucose regulation.
  • Understand how the structure of bacteria and viruses dictates treatment protocols, the concept of immune response and the impact of infections in the society.
    • Identify the structural differences between bacteria and viruses.
    • Explore the symptoms, prevalence, and treatment of bacterial and viral infections, including infections of the reproductive system.
    • Explore the immune response in relation to the introduction of antigens, classifying antigens as exogenous, endogenous (produced by intracellular bacteria and viruses replicating inside a host cell), and autoantigens (produced by the host).
    • Analyse how antibiotics are used to treat infections and explain how the effectiveness depends on the causative bacteria, including the differences between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
    • Discuss the global and social impact of an infectious disease caused by bacteria and viruses, such as COVID-19.
Diagnostic Device
  • Describe the importance of technology in clinical diagnosis, the composition of diagnostic medical devices and explain basic principles relating to diagnostic medical device design.
    • Investigate the application of technology in the provision of healthcare, categorising biomedical instruments into diagnostic devices (ECG monitor, EEG monitor, sphygmomanometer, pulse oximeter, thermometer, imaging equipment such as X-ray and ultrasound, microscope) and therapeutic devices (ventilator, pacemaker, infant incubator).
    • Identify the components of a diagnostic device and their functions, including the measurand, electrode or sensor, signal processing unit and display or recording unit.
    • Discuss the bioinstrumentation principles used in the construction of a diagnostic device, including accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and safety standards.
Therapeutic Device
  • Describe some treatment and management strategies for cancer, disabilities, damaged tissues and organs.
    • Explain the use of prostheses and orthoses to manage, correct and treat disabilities, including their sites of application and the pathological effects they address.
    • Investigate the treatments and therapies available to treat cancer and their physical, mental and emotional effects, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and stem cell implants.
    • Explore the future application of regenerative medicine for patients with disabilities, including strategies such as cell therapy, tissue construct implantation and artificial organs.
Research and Design in Biomedical Science
  • Use scientific literature and statistics to design experiments and analyse results.
    • Critique and compare science data presented in popular media with data presented in scientific journals, evaluating credibility, accuracy and reliability.
    • Apply knowledge of specified statistical analysis methods to analyse the results of experimental studies, including measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measures of variability (range, variance and standard deviation).

Year 3

7 topics
Biomedical Science Practice
  • Explain actions that can constitute malpractice, liability and/or negligence and how the biomedical scientist can guard against them.
    • Explain common practices that could result in malpractice, liability and/or negligence in the field of biomedical science.
    • Describe the purpose of informed consent from both the patient and healthcare provider perspective, including discussion of the clinical problem, proposed treatment, risks and benefits, alternatives and solicitation of the patient's preference.
    • Identify and explain personal and long-term consequences of unethical or illegal behaviour in the workplace.
Biosafety
  • Apply the principles of biosafety to set up experiments.
    • Undertake proper planning of experiments to avoid accidents.
    • Identify the correct waste stream and demonstrate proper disposal of hazardous waste in the laboratory.
    • Identify and describe the role of biosafety professionals in biomedical research laboratories.
Anatomy and Physiology
  • Describe the role of enzymes in digestion and explain how food, water and oxygen is transported by the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
    • Explain what enzymes are and their role in the digestive system, including the lock-and-key model of enzyme specificity.
    • Explain the transport of oxygen, food, and water to all cells in the body through the connection between the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
    • Describe how the interconnectedness of the body systems aids in energy generation, including how heart rate varies among individuals and the factors that cause heart function variability.
    • Demonstrate an understanding of how joints and muscles use energy to contribute to the movement of the human body, including how muscles use molecular energy (ATP) for movement.
Diseases and Disorders
  • Describe the different types of lipids in the body, explain how cholesterol-lipoprotein complexes affect risk of heart diseases and how risk of heart diseases may be assessed.
    • Describe the different types of lipid molecules (fatty acids, fats, steroids and complex lipids) and their different physical properties and functions.
    • Explain how cholesterol is transported in the blood by high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and the role each plays in the body.
    • Describe how the concentrations of HDL and LDL complexes affect a person's risk of heart disease, including blocked vessels and stroke.
    • Describe the function of an angiogram in diagnosing blocked vessels and discuss the risk factors for heart disease.
Diagnostic Device
  • Design and construct some basic medical devices and pitch them to potential investors.
    • Evaluate the role of biomedical engineers in the production, acquisition and maintenance of medical devices.
    • Design and construct a simple diagnostic device such as a thermometer, heartbeat monitor, breath alcohol monitor or paper-based colorimetric sensor, or assemble the units of a medical device.
    • Develop a marketing plan to pitch the designed device to potential investors.
Therapeutic Device
  • Identify constituent components of a therapeutic device, develop an operating manual for a medical device and describe the regulatory processes for medical devices.
    • Disassemble and assemble the components of a therapeutic device, identifying each part and its function.
    • Develop an operating manual for a therapeutic device following established guidelines and requirements.
    • Discuss the role of regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drugs Authority and Ghana Standards Authority in the production and marketing of medical devices, and how they prevent fraudulent adverts and ensure safety and effectiveness.
Research and Design in Biomedical Science
  • Use scientific literature and statistics to design experiments and analyse results.
    • Apply knowledge of specified statistical analysis methods to analyse the results of experimental studies, including measures of central tendency (mean, mode and median), measures of variability (range, variance and standard deviation) and how changes in scale on graphs may exaggerate or diminish outcomes.
    • Design and analyse an experimental study to answer a question relating to human health, including proposing a research topic, designing an experiment, collecting data, consulting secondary sources and documenting findings in a report.
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