3D-printed craniocerebral model promotes the interests and education efficiency for the medical interns in neurosurgery department

Objective: Three-dimension (3D)-printing facilitates the understanding of the complex structures with an isometric and high simulation model. Here we aimed to discuss the efficiency using 3D-printing craniocerebral models in clinical education for the interns. Method: We randomly divided 124 clinical interns into two groups: the traditional education group (n = 62) and the 3D-printed model group (n = 62). The interns in the traditional education group were taught with oral teaching and imaging data, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The interns in the 3D-printed model group received the education via the 3D-printed model from the 4 selected clinical samples. Self-designed questionnaires for the subjective assessment of education styles and examinations for teaching contents were conducted to investigate the education efficiency between the 2 groups. Results: The interns in the 3D-printed model group had higher scores in the favor for the course contents, the concentration during clinical study, the degree of interest, the acquisition of the knowledge, and the memorable degree in comparison with that in the traditional education group. Furthermore, the test scores for the interns in the 3D-printed model groups were significantly higher than that in the traditional education group. Conclusion: Clinical education with the assistance of 3D-printed model significantly improved the learning efficiency for the clinical interns, acquiring more detailed knowledge about the anatomy or diseases in neurosurgery.