TECH-HEALTH encompasses three workshops to train and empower healthcare professionals in the use of recent innovative, eco-friendly, and participatory 3D printing technologies for producing implants and prostheses. These are intended for patients with diverse needs such as physical barriers, orthopaedic and hearing impairments, notably amputated limbs. Examples of these technological developments include injection moulding, used for fast mass production of implants,and 3D bio-printing. 3D medical implants and prosthetic limbs can help patients recover faster and more efficiently, promoting independence. Producing functional medical implants is a delicate process, considering individual needs.
Each medical condition is unique, requiring personalized solutions for the best chance of success. The project will also discuss innovative practices about 3D printing technologies, such as those already implemented by the partner FSJD, based on the FabCare model (https://fabcare.network). This model involves also a consultation process with the patient during the conception of 3D-printed implants and prostheses. Through this person-centred approach, the final user can receive a better-tailored support, have an open dialogue with healthcare professionals and become more familiar with the digital prosthesis.
In line with the chosen priorities, TECH-HEALTH reduces skills gaps as healthcare professionals learn to use the most recent 3D printing technologies in patient care, designed in consultation with patients and using eco-friendly materials. This follows recent developments in healthcare, as technologies like 3D printing are essential for improving the quality of treatment. TECH-HEALTH will extend the VET offer in the healthcare sector by developing new learning content for digital skills, in line with the selected sectoral priority. As required by the horizontal priority Digital Erasmus+, new digital tools for learning and engagement will be developed, specifically a Virtual Classroom where participants and other professionals collaborate online and access the learning material in digital format. The overall project outcomes enhance the digitalization of the VET system and the digital knowledge of healthcare professionals and hospitals, ensuring they are not left behind in the digital transition.
The direct target group is made up of healthcare professionals which are cooperating with partner organisations. The increasing role of digital technologies in the medical field requires a higher specialization among the health workforce. Presently, the knowledge of 3D printing among doctors and other professionals in the partner organizations is limited to the most basic possibilities and needs a transnational vocational training project to keep pace with the latest developments at the European level. Healthcare professionals will learn about the most innovative and eco-friendly 3D printing technologies, harmonize their working practices and adopt participatory models to engage their patients in the development of 3D printed prostheses/implants. The project will update their skills and competencies in 3D printing for medical implants and prosthetic limbs with a focus on an improved response to the individual needs of the patients – through a participatory dialogue – and on the adoption of more Technologically advanced and eco-friendly 3D printing technologies. Each project workshop will be attended by professionals from four EU Countries, specializing primarily in geriatrics and orthopaedics. The indirect target groups are patients undergoing surgical and orthopaedic therapies in hospitals and healthcare centres.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than one billion people currently need assistive products, such as prostheses, and with the global ageing population, this number is projected to exceed 3.5 billion by 2050. To address this growing need in patients, hospitals must keep pace with 3D printing possibilities, while personally tailored prostheses and implants will enable patients to benefit from better and faster recovery, enhancing their independence, social inclusion, and well-being. A consultative involvement will allow patients to be more informed and aware of the 3D printing processes, being also more comfortable and psychologically open to the new artificial body part. In this sense, a survey by Durham University Business School (2021) has also demonstrated that hospitals providing surgical teams with the ability to produce 3D-printed anatomical limbs and implants experienced a significant reduction in post-surgery complications and patient recovery times, limiting the need for subsequent hospital care.
Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE). Neither the European Union nor FRSE can be held responsible for them.