Improving patient experience and education on congenital heart defects: the evolving role of digital heart models, 3D-printing and mobile application

Background: Effective counseling and good communication are vital to adequately educate families on congenital heart disease (CHD) anatomy, prognosis, and surgical options. In addition, families desire to have easy access to reliable sources of information to further educate themselves and their social networks. Advanced digital and 3D printing technology has enabled the creation of CHD-specific visual aids aimed at improving patient-physician communication and enhancing the patient-family experience. Objective: To determine ambulatory CHD patient family/caregiver response to new tech-based counseling utilizing 3D printed hearts and a novel interactive mobile application. Methods: This is a single center prospective study of caregivers of previously diagnosed ambulatory CHD patients. Consenting participants were provided lesion specific education using 3D printed models (Figure 1) and an internally-developed interactive mobile app known as Heartpedia (Figure 2). At the end of the encounter, the caregiver completed a survey on their overall assessment of the novel educational tools and their perception of knowledge regarding the specific CHD described. Questions on the survey included recalling details related to the patient specific CHD condition. Additionally, the caregiver';s satisfaction and experience with the new educational tools compared to prior encounters was assessed, and the educational tool preference (3D model vs. app) was recorded. Simple T-test was used to assess for significant differences with the current encounter, compared to prior encounters. Results: Of the total 75 participants, 96% of caregivers reported that the 3D model and mobile application was "very useful" or "extremely useful" in helping them understand their child';s CHD. The caregiver satisfaction was reported as "significantly improved" (p