3D Printing in a hospital: Centralized clinical implementation and applications for comprehensive care

Abstract

This educational article discusses the use of 3D printing or additive manufacturing in hospitals, not just for rapid prototyping but also for creating end-use products, such as clinical, diagnostic, and educational tools. The flexibility of 3D printing is valuable for creating patient-specific medical devices, custom surgical tools, anatomical models, implants, research tools and on-demand parts, among others. The advantages of and requirements for implementing a clinical 3D printing service in a hospital environment are discussed, including centralized 3D printing management, technology, example use cases, and considerations for implementation. The article provides an overview for other institutions to reference in setting up or organizing their clinical 3D printing services and is applicable to general hospitals or various sub-specialty practices.