Modeling Medical Education: The Impact of Three-Dimensional Printed Models on Medical Student Education in Plastic Surgery

Abstract

Purpose: Trainee exposure to craniofacial pathology can be limited due to rare disease presentation, revealing a need for tools that assist in visualizing complex 3D pathologic anatomy. 3D-printed models show potential as a useful aid, allowing for physical manipulation and hands-on experience. This study investigates their educational value in teaching craniofacial pathology and surgical repair. Methods: Forty-four medical students randomly assigned to a control group or model group were given a PowerPoint presentation-based module on craniosynostosis and surgical repair. The model group was also provided with 3D-printed models of sagittal, metopic, and bicoronal synostosis, created using patient-specific preoperative computed tomography data. A survey using the Likert scale evaluated participants’ learning experience. Pre- and postmodule scores on a 10-question multiple choice quiz were recorded. Results: The survey showed that students in the model group reported better understanding of the anatomy (4.86 ± 0.15 versus 4.26 ± 0.22; P = 0.0001) and visualization of the pathology (4.76 ± 0.23 versus 4.26 ± 0.25; P = 0.0064), gaining an improved understanding of surgical approach (4.38 ± 0.37 versus 3.83 ± 0.29; P = 0.0266), which was more effectively taught (4.24 ± 0.33 versus 3.30 ± 0.38; P = 0.0007) with the 3D-printed models. The mean pre- and post-module quiz scores between groups were similar. Conclusion: 3D-printed models demonstrated an improved learning experience for medical students as shown by survey. These findings suggest a potential use for 3D-printed models in medical education of craniofacial pathology and surgery.

Effect of teaching tools in spatial understanding in health science education: a systematic review

“…20 Five studies included in our systematic review created 3D printed anatomical models for medical education (Appendix A, Table 4, Table 5). 23,27,33,39,40 3D reconstruction of 2D CT images. Radiologists often find it challenging to diagnose based on axial CT images alone as they lack information on the third dimension (e.g., sagittal, and coronal dimensions).…”

“…41 3D reconstructed CT images were used by five studies that are included in our review (Appendix A, Table 4; Table 5). 26,28,31,32,39…”

“…Model of Cleft lip and palate (CLP) (AlAi et al, 2018) 33 Surgery students The use of 3D printed models significantly improved the mean test scores of students. Model of synostosis (Lane et al, 2020) 39 Surgery students The survey showed that students using 3D printed models improved their understanding of the surgical approach. 3D reconstruction of 2D CT images Pancreatic cancer patients (Lin et al, 2020) 32 Surgery students Students who learned with 3D images performed better in questions regarding tumor staging and surgery planning.…”

“…(i) Thirteen studies evaluated students' test scores to evaluate their ability to answer the questions that require spatial intelligence. [22][23][24][25][26][32][33][34][35][36][37]39,40 To assess the teaching tool of interest, researchers compared pre-test and post-test scores or compared test scores between experimental and control groups (Appendix A, Table 4).…”

“…Thirteen studies included in our review collected and analyzed student perception data either from surveys (quantitative data) or focus groups (qualitative data) (Appendix A, Table-4). [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][38][39][40]…”