Measuring the quality and impact of 3D medical printing in surgical planning, procedures and communications using product usefulness surveys

Abstract

3D printing is an essential technology for clinical decision-making, affording significant improvements over conventional imaging alone. Product usefulness surveys offer potential in measuring the quality and impact of 3DP to assist clinical decision-making and patient communication. A narrative literature review (Scoping Review articles only) frames the benefits and limitations of 3D print surgical workflow and user experiences. A usability survey was co-designed with a company to measure the impact of their 3D prints on surgical practice, and secondary data analysis was conducted of to understand the effectiveness and usefulness of the technology in a real-world healthcare setting. Three categories of usefulness and relevance were identified. High-value relevance (positive Likert scores over 70%) related to pre-operative planning, clinical communication, and the value of the technology. Moderate scores (50% to 69%) related to time saving with pre-operative surgery, and effectiveness of patient care and diagnosis. Minor relevance (less than 50%) included direct cost savings, physical resource efficiencies, time in intra-operative surgery, or intra-operative risks. This research considers 3D printings relationship to medical error prevention, limitations and future recommendations for usability surveys of this type and it identified issues around gender inclusion in Design for Health research.