Abstract
Objective: In recent years, the utilization of 3D printers has attracted attention in medical settings. An exploratory study on the production of aids using 3D printers was conducted to compare the usability of an originally-developed prototype of Aid D for Miriopen® and Aid S provided for free by a pharmaceutical manufacturer.
Methods: The subjects were 19 university students in their 20s who were blinded to all aspects of the study prior to its commencement. A paired comparison was conducted to assess the usability of those aids, with “being easy to grip”, “being easy to push”, “being easy to hold”, and “general assessment” as assessment items. The students were asked to inject chemicals into melamine sponge, and the weight of the sponge was measured prior to and following injection to examine the effects of wearing aids on the volume of chemicals injected.
Results: Mean favorability scores of Aid D for three assessment items (excluding “being easy to hold”) were significantly higher. The use of aids had almost no influence on the volume of chemicals injected.
Conclusion: In production using 3D printers, the depths of concaves and convexes and intervals between each of them, and the length of the body can be easily changed according to the sizes of the hands and fingers of subjects. Aid D was easier to grip and push because the concaves and convexes on the surface of the body and the length of the protrusions were customized. Therefore, 3D printers are useful tools for the production of aids.
