3D Printing for the Improvement of Patient Consultation and Consent in Hand Surgery

Abstract

Cadaveric dissection has traditionally been used to educate healthcare professionals about human anatomy, but a multimodal approach is now becoming more prevalent in a modern medical curriculum. The drive for this change is due to limitations in curriculum time and available resources. Anatomy educators have appropriated some technological inventions to alleviate issues posed by dissection. Amongst them, 3D printing technology is one gaining popularity and research interest. It produces physical 3D models from computerised moulds using an addictive fabrication technique. This involves the 3D printing machine interpreting the digital data as a series of cross sections, generated from computer‐aided design software, and laying down successive layers of materials thereby creating a physical model. This study aimed to explore the impact of 3D printed models on clinical consultations in hand surgery and whether they can give more informed consent to patients with hand pathologies. It also documented the manufacturing process of the 3D printed hand models. Prosected cadaveric forearm specimens were scanned by a hand‐held 3D scanner and after post‐processing of the digital data a computerised template was created for printing. The printed models were then painted by a professional artist. The manufacturing process adopted was found to cost less than ones described in other similar studies. Hand clinicians approved of the accuracy, quality as well as the realism of the models and considered they would be helpful in improving patients' understanding of pathologies and treatments. The outcomes of this study provide useful indicators for subsequent studies and patients' feedback and relevant survey would further establish the educational impact of these models. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .

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