Investigation of the Attitudes and Barriers of Prosthetics and Orthotics Professionals in Turkey Towards 3D Printers and Technology
Investigation of the Attitudes and Barriers of Prosthetics and Orthotics Professionals in Turkey Towards 3D Printers and Technology
This study aim is the attitudes and barriers of prosthetics and orthotics professionals towards 3D printers and technology will be determined.
It is known that there are generally concerns about high capital costs and return on investment in the use of 3D printer technology in Turkey.
It is known that there is no study in Turkey to investigate the attitudes and barriers of prosthetics and orthotics professionals towards 3D printers and technology. Therefore, the attitudes and barriers of prosthetics and orthotics professionals towards 3D printers and technology will be questioned in the study. It was aimed to reveal the perspectives and concerns about 3D printers and technology and to emphasize the importance of increasing the number of education and competent personnel regarding the dissemination of technological applications in practice.
In the study investigating the attitudes and barriers of prosthetics and orthosis professionals towards 3D printers and technology in Turkey, a total of 131 participants, 29 female and 102 male, aged at least 18 and at most 65 years old, were included.
The participants first filled out the Demographic Information Form. This form includes demographic information such as the participant's age, gender, education level, profession, duration of professional experience, geographical region where they work, the number of in-service trainings they receive in the field of orthosis and prosthesis, weekly working hours and the number of daily patients they communicate with.
At the end of the demographic information, the participants were asked to state open-endedly what they had concerns about technology that they could not define.
In addition, questions created according to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Affinity for Technology Interaction (ATI) were also answered by the participants.
When the participants were asked whether they had concerns about 3D printers and technology that they could not define, it was determined that they mostly answered no. When the participants who had concerns were asked open-endedly about their concerns, the answers given were mostly about the lack of information or competent personnel for use when the answers were collected under common headings. It was observed that the technology acceptance model and proximity to technology had an effect on the time spent in the profession and the total score of ATI.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: