Organizational impact of 3D printing technology in surgery: which criteria to evaluate?

Aim: The evaluation of a health technology determines the clinical and non clinical value of the technology. Among the non clinical criteria, evaluation models include the organizational impact (OI) of the technology. The objective of this study is to highlight the types of OIs of 3D printing in a hospital setting. Materials & methods: A panel of 12 experts was assembled based on their knowledge of 3D printed medical devices and then interviewed individually. Results: A strong consensus was reached for three types of impacts out of the 12 types of OIs associated with medical devices: the need for training, cooperation and communication and the logistics circuit. Conclusion: It seems very relevant to integrate these three types of impacts in future evaluations of 3D printing in healthcare.