Improving patient communication

Taking inspiration from a recent article [1] in our sister journal, the Journal of 3D Printing in Medicine, this summary piece will discuss the academic findings thus far on how 3D printing can be utilized to aid communication between physicians and patients.  3D printing has demonstrated great benefits for medical decision-making, surgical planning and medical trainee education over the past decade. More recently, however, its potential in aiding communication between physicians and patients has been recognized, given that 3D models are a powerful tool for allowing patients to visualize their own complex anatomy.  Specifically, 3D printing models allow patients to...