More time for the doing, having made the thinking 3D printing for knowledge circulation in healthcare

This paper investigates the phenomenon of the Digital Do-It-Yourself (Di-DIY) in the medical domain. In particular, the main contribution of the paper is a conceptual framework based on the notion of DiDIY in healthcare. To help focus on the main actors and assets composing the 3D printing innovation roles in healthcare we model: the DiDIY-er as the main initiator of the practice innovation; the available technology allowing the envisioning of new practices; the specific activities gaining benefits from the innovative techniques introduced; and the knowledge community continuously supporting and evolving knowledge practices. A general introduction on the notion of Knowledge Artifacts (KAs) and on the use of 3D printing (3DP) in medicine will be followed by our research questions and by a more detailed analysis of diagnostic, training and surgical planning activities for clinicians and patients. Observations carried out in a hospital in Italy are reported to exemplify activities based on 3DP bone models in the radiological and orthopaedic fields. These observations can be considered a second contribution of the paper, although secondary with respect to the conceptual framework. They also help proof how knowledge sharing and circulation in the community of healthcare professionals may be improved by the introduction of tangible and intangible KAs around the practice of DiDIY. Our framework is then presented in the end.