What would you like to print? Students' opinions on the use of 3D printing technology in medicine.

BackgroundRecent advances in 3D printing technology, and biomaterials are revolutionizing medicine. The beneficiaries of this technology are primarily patients, but also students of medical faculties. Taking into account that not all students have full, direct access to the latest advances in additive technologies, we surveyed their opinion on 3D printing and education in this area. The research aimed to determine what knowledge about the use of 3D printing technology in medicine, do students of medical faculties have.MethodsThe research was carried out in the form of a questionnaire among 430 students of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland) representing various fields of medicine and health sciences. The questions included in the survey analyzed the knowledge of the respondents for 3D printing technology and the opportunities it creates in medicine.ResultsThe results indicate that students do have knowledge about 3D printing obtained mainly from the internet. They would be happy to deepen their knowledge at specialized courses in this field. Students appreciated the value of 3D printing in order to obtain accurate anatomical models, helpful in learning. However, they do not consider the possibility of complete abandonment of human cadavers in the anatomy classes. Their knowledge includes basic information about current applications of 3D printing in medicine, but not in all areas. However, they have no ethical doubts regarding the use of 3D printing in any form. The vast majority of students deemed it necessary to incorporate information regarding 3D printing technology into the curriculum of different medical majors.ConclusionThis research is the first of its kind, which allows for probing students' knowledge about the additive technologies in medicine. Medical education should be extended to include issues related to the use of 3D printing for medical applications

Zastosowanie druku 3D w chirurgii głowy i szyi

Currently, 3D printing in medicine does not comprise only prostheses or implants, but also medical modelling and surgical planning. The future of 3D printing is printing combined with tissue bioengineering (bioprinting). Scaffolds made in 3D technology containing living cells are a step to creating tissues and organs. Three-dimensional printing in surgery is now considered the future of reconstructive and regenerative medicine. Head and neck surgery also benefits from advances in 3D printing. In this article, we will describe some of the possibilities offered by 3D printing in the aspect of education, training, and printed prostheses for the needs of head and neck surgery.Obecnie druk 3D w medycynie oznacza nie tylko protezy czy implanty, ale także modelowanie medyczne i planowanie chirurgiczne. Przyszłością będzie druk 3D połączony z bioinżynierią tkankową (bioprinting). Rusztowania wykonane w technologii 3D zawierające żywe komórki są krokiem do tworzenia tkanek i narządów. Druk trójwymiarowy w chirurgii uważany jest obecnie za przyszłość medycyny rekonstrukcyjnej i regeneracyjnej, a z dokonań na tym polu korzysta także chirurgia głowy i szyi. W prezentowanym artykule opiszemy niektóre możliwości, jakie daje druk 3D w aspekcie edukacji, szkoleń oraz drukowanych protez na potrzeby chirurgii głowy i szyi