Exploring the utility of crowdsourcing frameworks to inform the construction of a web-based 3D printing application (3DCrowdGo)

Abstract

Healthcare trainees learn hands-on skills using simulators before attempting them on patients. COVID-19 shifted in-person learning to online presenting unique challenges, as equipping large cohorts of learners with simulators is prohibitively expensive and often impractical. Using three-dimensional (3D) printing to create simulators allows for cost effective, accurate products that are easily customizable to learners’ needs. I aimed to discover how to construct a crowdsourced online application, 3DCrowdGo, to fill the “research-to-simulation lab” gap in health professions simulation training via community-based 3D printing. Phase 1 involved a literature review whose resulting theories were ranked by simulation stakeholders to determine which were suitable for 3DCrowdGo. Phase 2 was an exploratory trial that demonstrated piloting of the initial efficacy of the app. Results from these phases were aggregated to develop a responsive, flexible solution that incorporates current best practices and provides affordable and effective simulators for the decentralized simulation model by mobilizing community members.