Tenerife hospital using 3D printing to cut rehab equipment costs by up to 97.6%

La Candelaria University Hospital in Tenerife has started producing custom mechanotherapy tools using a 3D printer, in a bid to cut costs while delivering personalized therapy solutions to patients. In doing so, it has reduced the cost of ordering equivalent equipment from approximately €2,316 ($2,683) per batch to just €56 ($65) — a saving of 97.6%.

Working in collaboration with the hospital’s IT department, the Occupational Therapy area within its Rehabilitation service has to date manufactured around 12 models and nearly 30 pieces since implementing the approach.

The tools were designed to support patients recovering from hand injuries, including tendon ruptures and metacarpal fractures, as well as those with limited mobility. “These individuals need to regain functionality and require mechanotherapy tools,” stated Teresa Fernández, Occupational Therapist at the hospital.

Commercially available rehabilitation equipment is patented and therefore cannot be directly replicated, so the hospital produces patient-specific versions. “With the 3D printer, we have the opportunity to adjust each piece to the patient’s specific requirements and improve upon the original molds,” Fernández explained.

One such example is a custom version of the Canadian board — a perforated board with interchangeable rods used to treat hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow injuries. “Despite all its advantages, it is a rigid and not very versatile tool,” Fernández said.

The hospital’s versions allowed clinicians to calibrate tension force and scale the tool’s dimensions to a patient’s individual needs. “The original board is quite large, and some patients only need to work on a specific part of the hand, such as a finger. Therefore, a smaller, more manageable replica is more convenient,” she said.

The approach also expanded patient throughput: whereas Fernández previously saw seven to nine patients daily, she stated that she could now see 12 to 15. “I had one patient every half hour, but now I can attend up to three,” she said.

It was the hospital’s technical engineers who translated clinical requirements into printable designs. “Creating a board used in occupational therapy can take 18 hours,” said Carlos Yanes, Technical Engineer at the hospital.

Beyond therapy tools, the department was also producing discontinued maintenance parts, such as 40mm shower tray valves no longer in production. “We even plan to create a national database with the various prototypes we have manufactured to serve as a reference for any hospital in Spain,” said Alejandro Estévez, Section Head at the hospital.