Keywords: Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS), additive manufacturing, medical education

Background: Additive Manufacturing, commonly known as “3D printing,” is a technique that generates plastic objects from a source digital file. Initially developed to produce rapid prototypes in manufacturing settings, 3D printing is now being employed ubiquitously– including in medical education. While benefits of additive manufacturing in resident learning are well-documented, its impact in undergraduate medical education remains underexplored.

Objectives: This project aims to assess additive manufacturing in undergraduate medical education through the use of cross-sectional anatomical models during Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) training. Our anatomical structures of interest (SOI) include: 1) Uterus/Bladder, 2) Kidney/Aorta 3) Liver/Gallbladder, 4) Heart.

Design: De-identified MRI data was traced in 3D Slicer software to render the SOI. These renderings were then modified in Blender software to design a digital model compatible with printing on a Bambu Lab X1 Combo printer. Test subjects include first and second-year medical students at UCLA. Students will complete an anonymous pre-test survey assessing self-reported confidence in POCUS, and knowledge about the SOI. 3D-printed models will then be integrated as supplemental learning tools during scheduled POCUS sessions. Upon course completion, students will complete a post-test survey assessing the same variables.

Impact/Effectiveness: Qualitative feedback about each model will be obtained and incorporated into future lesson planning. Pre/post test results are pending IRB approval. We expect that integrating 3D-printed models into undergraduate POCUS courses will lead to significant improvement in knowledge about the SOI, and increased confidence with POCUS interpretation.

Lessons Learned: A major success was mastery of the 3D printing software systems. Special considerations were made when selecting imaging modality, aligning cross-sectional cuts, and determining magnet size.

Summary: Additive manufacturing is a cost-effective technique that has potential to reduce departmental costs for supplemental learning tools. Future project plans involve designing models that incorporate pathological features.