Research on the benefits of 3D printing in a trauma hospital
3D printing is seeing increasingly widespread adoption in the medical field. There are numerous examples of 3D printing being applied to solve real-world problems, ranging from surgeons accurately planning cosmetic surgery to hospital trauma centers treating patients that are fighting for their life.
The ETZ (Elisabeth-TweeSteden Ziekenhuis) is one of the eleven trauma centers in the Netherlands. As the only center in the country with trauma surgeons on location 24 hours a day, it serves as the main location for emergency patients in North Brabant. 3D printing has already been used to visualize bone fractures, but pioneering researchers believe it can also be used to help treat trauma patients.
Read the full case study here.
3D printing is fueling innovative healthcare solutions
Doctors Bon Ku and Rob Pugliese are at the forefront of bringing traditional medical school education into the future. Taking inspiration from the Maker Health movement, their mission is to teach future doctors to not only act as physicians, but to design devices, spaces, and services and become creative healthcare problem solvers.
As practicing Emergency Medicine clinicians and professors at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital, Dr. Bon Ku and Dr. Rob Pugliese clearly observed a skills and preparation gap between recent medical school graduates and experienced professionals. They were well acquaintainted with the challenges immediately facing graduates in the hectic, real-world hospital environment.
The two have inquired into how it may be possible to improve health professional training by encouraging creativity, real-time, in the trenches problem solving, and initiative. Read the full case study here.
