Point-of-Care Manufacturing: Maker Perspectives on Digital Fabrication in Medical Practice

Maker culture is on the rise in healthcare with the adoption of consumer-grade fabrication technologies. However, little is known about the activities and resources involved in prototyping medical devices to improve patient care. In this paper, we refer to such activity asmedical making to report findings based on a qualitative study of stakeholder engagement in physical prototyping (making) experiences. We examine perspectives from diverse stakeholders including clinicians, engineers, administrators, and medical researchers. Through 18 semi-structured interviews with medical-makers in the US and Canada, we analyze making activity in medical settings. We find that medical makers share strategies to address risks, adopt labor roles, and acquire resources within traditional medical practice. Our findings outline how medical-makers mitigate risks for patient safety, collaborate with local and global stakeholder networks, and overcome constraints of co-location and material practices. We recommend a clinician-aided software system, partially-open repositories, and a collaborative skill-sharing social network to extend their strategies in support of medical making.