3D-printed organ models improve nursing interns' physiology knowledge scores in RCT

This was a randomized controlled trial with 120 undergraduate nursing interns. Participants were assigned to an observation group receiving 3DIPT-assisted teaching using 3D-printed models of key nursing-relevant organs (ovary, uterus, stomach, prostate, and kidney) or a control group receiving traditional teaching with 2D materials and static specimens. The intervention period was 6 months.

The primary outcome was physiology-related knowledge scores from a nurse licensing examination simulation. The observation group scored 77.30 ± 9.65, while the control group scored 67.36 ± 9.55, with the difference being statistically significant (p < 0.05). Secondary outcomes included Social Medical Curiosity, self-directed learning ability, mobile learning willingness, and Medical Students’ Transformative Learning Readiness, but specific results for these were not reported.

Safety and tolerability data, including adverse events, serious adverse events, and discontinuations, were not reported. A key limitation is that the paper partially presents the models for the ovary, uterus, stomach, prostate, and kidney for clinical education and connected learning.

The practice relevance is not specified. Given the observational nature of the findings within an RCT, causality cannot be definitively established, and the results are specific to this population and teaching context.