Exploring Canadian rehabilitation professionals' perceptions about 3D printing: a qualitative study

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has been promoted as a means to offer customised aids and improved access to medical devices; however, there is limited understanding of rehabilitation professionals' thoughts regarding its adoption into practice in Canada. Therefore, we conducted a study to investigate the perceptions of rehabilitation professionals on the potential application of 3D printing in their practice.

In this interpretive description study, data were collected using virtual, one-to-one, semi-structured interviews. The interviews were transcribed, coded, and analysed inductively for themes using thematic content analysis and ideas from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology as sensitising concepts.

Twenty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted with rehabilitation professionals. The sample comprised (N = 13) occupational therapists, (N = 8) prosthetists, and (N = 2) orthotists, encompassing both those with and those without experience with 3D printing technology. The participants had a mean age of 39 years (SD = 10), and 65% of them identified as female. We identified three main themes: (1) "It's great technology but!" - feeling conflicted about the benefits of 3D printing, (2) "Tips for transformation" - needing structural changes at work to use 3D printing, (3) "A complementary method" - embracing 3D printing as an additional tool.

Rehabilitation professionals expressed a range of enthusiasm for incorporating 3D printing into practice, highlighting the need for training and dedicated time to improve the infrastructure to enhance the actual use and additional research on safety to ensure its effective implementation.