Use of a 3D-printed Anthropomorphic Head and Neck Phantom to Train Radiotherapy Healthcare Workers

Simulation-based learning (SBL) has become an essential part of health education because it enables students to develop professional skills in a safe, controlled environment, while avoiding the risk of endangering patients. In this study, a practical, multidisciplinary radiotherapy training program was developed and implemented, using a 3D-printed anthropomorphic head and neck phantom. The program is based on a real clinical case of a parotid gland carcinoma and covers all stages of the radiotherapy workflow. These stages include medical prescription, simulation, contouring of target volumes and organs at risk (OARs), planning, preparation for treatment in the linear accelerator, and measurement of the absorbed dose. A total of 12 professionals, with limited clinical experience, attended the training, including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, and radiation therapy technicians. Following the training, a significant increase in self-perceived competency was recorded across all participating professional groups and Likert scale averages decreased from 4.00 to nearly 1.30. The planned dose was 200 cGy and doses measured in the phantom were 202, 199 and 201 cGy, corresponding to variations of +1.0%, -0.5% and +0.5%, respectively, which is within the recommended acceptability limits. Participant evaluations of the training program were very positive, with an average rating of 1.22 ± 0.11. Taken together, our simulation-based training program using anthropomorphic phantoms represents an effective educational tool for developing technical and non-technical skills, as well as providing a practical, safe and collaborative approach for teaching healthcare workers in radiotherapy teams, especially in contexts with limited socioeconomic resources.