The role of 3D printed model in the teaching of human anatomy: a meta-analysis

Background Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an emerging technology that is widely used in medical education. This study compared 3D printed models with conventional models to provide a better understanding of the use of 3D printed models in the teaching of anatomy. Methods PubMed, Embase, EBSCO, SpringerLink, and Nature databases were searched systematically for studies published up to December 2019 in the English language. This study complies with PRISMA guidelines. In this study, a meta-analysis of continuous data and binary data was carried out. Both descriptive analysis and statistical analysis were adopted. Results Compared with students in the conventional group, students in the 3D printing group showed several advantages in performance testing, time consumption, students' intention, and usefulness. The leave-one-out method further confirmed the stability of the results. Conclusions Compared with students in the conventional group, students in the 3D printing group had advantages in answering accuracy and answering time. For most anatomical sites, the 3D group has certain advantages in terms of test scores and time consumption. More students in the 3D printing group were satisfied with their learning compared with students in the conventional group. The role of the 3D printing model in human anatomy education is worth looking forward to.