3D Printing in Surgical Prototyping and Education at Kenyan Medical Schools

Surgical interventions require precise planning and execution. Traditional prototyping methods often involve manual designs or expensive manufacturing processes. A mixed-methods approach was used including surveys, interviews, and observational studies. Data were collected from a sample of 50 students over two academic years. 3D printed prototypes showed a significant improvement in accuracy (p < 0.01) compared to manual designs, with an average error rate reduction of 25% among students who used 3D printing for their projects. The integration of 3D printing technology into surgical education at Kenyan medical schools demonstrated enhanced learning outcomes and cost-effectiveness. Medical schools should be encouraged to invest in 3D printing equipment as part of their curriculum development, alongside ongoing professional training for educators. Treatment effect was estimated with logit(pᵢ)=β₀+β^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.