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Background: In the low and middle income countries’ healthcare system for medicine and surgery training and service provision, the use of computing technologies like 3D printing, would be of great help in creating faster, easier and transformational ways for training and doing surgical procedures, by creating software applications and hardware fabrications for efficient and effective learning solutions which are absent currently, hence leading to prompt treatment and surgical interventions in the developing world. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of the 3D printing technology in improving teaching and understanding of human anatomy and skills in the school of medicine in a developing country. Methodology: A randomized case-control study was used to analyze the impact of using 3D printed anatomical organ models as an adjunct to cadavers, in enhancing training of anatomy and skills development at Uzima University, School of medicine. Findings: There was substantial improvement amongst students taught with 3D printed organs together with cadavers in understanding the anatomy and skills taught as compared to those taught with cadavers alone. Students lectured with 3D printed brain and heart organ model took a median time of 2.2 hours IQR (1.6–2.8) for full identification of parts, while those taught with cadaver alone took a median time of 11.6 hours IQR (10.9-12.5), nearly 6 times more (p<0.001). In terms of narration of parts, functions and surgical procedures to treat ailments, those lectured with 3D printed brain and heart organ models took a median time of 6.4 hours IQR (5.6–7.2) for full narration, whereas those students lectured with cadaver alone took a median time of 17.5 hours IQR (18.8–18.8), p<0.001. Conclusion: We concluded that using anatomical models as an adjunct to cadavers improves training and skills of anatomy in medical schools in the developing world.
Ajwang et al. (Sun,) studied this question.