Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of additive manufacturing in cardiology: A qualitative study

Background

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a fast-developing technology with possible applications in cardiology. Existing research has identified two general factors that can influence implementing AM in cardiology: economics and technology.

Objective

In this study we aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to implementing AM in cardiology.

Methods

We conducted a multiple case study of two Swedish cardiac surgery departments representing implementers and non-implementers of AM. We interviewed key stakeholders (n=8) who had been or were involved in implementing AM in cardiology or AM in general at the hospitals: cardiologists, physicians working with AM but not specialized in cardiology such as radiologists, company representatives, and individuals involved in the 3D-printing facilities. A combination of an inductive and deductive approach was used to analyze the interviews.

Results

Several barriers and facilitators influenced implementing AM in cardiology. Most barriers (n=4) were related to innovation factors, whereas most facilitators (n=4) were related to healthcare professionals. No barriers and facilitators were related to patients.

Conclusion

Our findings show that AM in cardiology is in its very early phases in both hospitals and mostly the work of a few individuals. In the two hospitals studied, there were some unique differences in terms of barriers that could explain the low level of implementation. These barriers could be important to address when supporting implementation of AM at hospitals where AM use is still low.