Purpose or Case Report: Three-dimensional (3D) printed models of patient anatomy are increasingly becoming a component of the healthcare practice of many physicians. Here, we investigate physician perceptions of an in-house high-fidelity medical 3D-printing service in a large pediatric health system. We aim to elucidate how physicians perceive 3D-printed models assist in their roles as healthcare providers and to illustrate how a 3D-printing service may add value to a healthcare system.
Methods & Materials: Over the course of two years, 64 3D-printed models were requested by physicians. An optional survey was provided to physicians for each model they used; this four-question survey was designed to probe how physicians used the 3D-printed models, how satisfied they were with the quality of the models, how they felt the models helped their practice of medicine, and whether use of the models impacted surgeon confidence going into surgery. Descriptive results of responses delineate physician perceptions about the use of 3D-printed models in healthcare.
Results: A response rate of 75% was achieved (48 returned surveys) with seven medical disciplines represented among respondents. The most frequent reason for requesting a 3D-printed model was to aid pre-surgical planning (85% of models). Additionally, a majority of the models were also used to either educate patients and their families about disease, to educate medical professionals, or both (60% of models). Surgeons estimated that the models likely saved on average 35 minutes of operating room time and improved their confidence going into surgery.
Conclusions: Physicians who use high-fidelity 3D-printed models as an instrument to support their practice of medicine find a range of uses including surgical simulation, patient education, and as a tool to aid diagnosis and treatment planning. Given the advantages that 3D-printed models provide to physicians through better pre-procedure planning, to patients and families through improved understanding of their disease, and to the hospital system at large through time and costs saved, a more robust infrastructure supporting hospital-wide use of 3D-printed models is warranted.