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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Three-dimensional printing technologies can be implemented for the fabrication of personalized vaginal rings (VRs) as an alternative approach to traditional manufacturing. Although several studies have demonstrated the potential of additive manufacturing, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the opinions of patients and clinicians. This study aimed to investigate the perception of women and gynecologists regarding VRs with personalized shapes. The devices were printed with different designs (traditional, “Y”, “M”, and flat circle) by Fused Deposition Modeling for a cross-sectional survey with 155 participants. Their anticipated opinion was assessed through a questionnaire after a visual/tactile analysis of the VRs. The findings revealed that most women would feel comfortable using some of the 3D-printed VR designs and demonstrated good acceptability for the traditional and two innovative designs. However, women presented multiple preferences when the actual geometry was assessed, which directly related to their age, previous use of the vaginal route, and perception of comfort. In turn, gynecologists favored prescribing traditional and flat circle designs. Overall, although there was a difference in the perception between women and gynecologists, they had a positive opinion of the 3D-printed VRs. Finally, the personalized VRs could lead to an increase in therapeutic adherence, by meeting women’s preferences.

Details

Title
Three-Dimensionally Printed Vaginal Rings: Perceptions of Women and Gynecologists in a Cross-Sectional Survey
Author
Laura Andrade Junqueira 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Raposo, Francisco José 1 ; Geraldo Sérgio Farinazzo Vitral 2 ; Atabak Ghanizadeh Tabriz 3 ; Douroumis, Dennis 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Nádia Rezende Barbosa Raposo 1 ; Marcos Antônio Fernandes Brandão 1 

 Center for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora 36036-900, MG, Brazil; [email protected] (L.A.J.); [email protected] (F.J.R.); [email protected] (M.A.F.B.) 
 Woman Health Investigation Group, Department of Surgery, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora 36036-900, MG, Brazil; [email protected] 
 Centre for Innovation and Process Engineering Research, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Chatham ME4 4TB, UK; [email protected] (A.G.T.); [email protected] (D.D.) 
First page
2302
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
19994923
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2869541527
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.