Economic Potential for Distributed Manufacturing of Adaptive Aids for Arthritis Patients in the U.S.
By 2040, more than a quarter of the U.S. population will have diagnosed arthritic conditions. Adults with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions earn less than average yet have medical care expenditures that are over 12% of average household income. Adaptive aids can help arthritis patients contin...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Geriatrics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/3/4/89 |
| _version_ | 1819112079392505856 |
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| author | Nicole Gallup Jennifer K. Bow Joshua M. Pearce |
| author_facet | Nicole Gallup Jennifer K. Bow Joshua M. Pearce |
| author_sort | Nicole Gallup |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | By 2040, more than a quarter of the U.S. population will have diagnosed arthritic conditions. Adults with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions earn less than average yet have medical care expenditures that are over 12% of average household income. Adaptive aids can help arthritis patients continue to maintain independence and quality of life; however, their high costs limit accessibility for older people and the poor. One method used for consumer price reduction is distributed manufacturing with 3-D printers. In order to assess if such a method would be financially beneficial, this study evaluates the techno-economic viability of distributed manufacturing of adaptive aids for arthritis patients. Twenty freely accessible designs for 3-D printable adaptive aids were successfully fabricated on low-cost desktop 3-D printers and performed their functions adequately. The financial savings averaged >94% compared to commercially-available products. Overall, twenty adaptive aids were printed for US$20 of plastic; while on average, each adaptive aid would save over US$20. As printing a tiny subset of the adaptive aids needed by a single patient would recover the full capital and operational costs of a low-cost 3-D printer, it can be concluded that there is considerable potential for distributed manufacturing to assist arthritis patients. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T04:07:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f565f1a6f294c869ebb36cce4c6f457 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2308-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T04:07:48Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geriatrics |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f565f1a6f294c869ebb36cce4c6f4572022-12-21T18:39:36ZengMDPI AGGeriatrics2308-34172018-12-01348910.3390/geriatrics3040089geriatrics3040089Economic Potential for Distributed Manufacturing of Adaptive Aids for Arthritis Patients in the U.S.Nicole Gallup0Jennifer K. Bow1Joshua M. Pearce2Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USADepartment of Materials Science & Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USADepartment of Materials Science & Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USABy 2040, more than a quarter of the U.S. population will have diagnosed arthritic conditions. Adults with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions earn less than average yet have medical care expenditures that are over 12% of average household income. Adaptive aids can help arthritis patients continue to maintain independence and quality of life; however, their high costs limit accessibility for older people and the poor. One method used for consumer price reduction is distributed manufacturing with 3-D printers. In order to assess if such a method would be financially beneficial, this study evaluates the techno-economic viability of distributed manufacturing of adaptive aids for arthritis patients. Twenty freely accessible designs for 3-D printable adaptive aids were successfully fabricated on low-cost desktop 3-D printers and performed their functions adequately. The financial savings averaged >94% compared to commercially-available products. Overall, twenty adaptive aids were printed for US$20 of plastic; while on average, each adaptive aid would save over US$20. As printing a tiny subset of the adaptive aids needed by a single patient would recover the full capital and operational costs of a low-cost 3-D printer, it can be concluded that there is considerable potential for distributed manufacturing to assist arthritis patients.https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/3/4/893-D printingadditive manufacturingarthritisadaptive aiddistributed manufacturingeconomicsmotor skillsperson–environment interactioncost-effective |
| spellingShingle | Nicole Gallup Jennifer K. Bow Joshua M. Pearce Economic Potential for Distributed Manufacturing of Adaptive Aids for Arthritis Patients in the U.S. Geriatrics 3-D printing additive manufacturing arthritis adaptive aid distributed manufacturing economics motor skills person–environment interaction cost-effective |
| title | Economic Potential for Distributed Manufacturing of Adaptive Aids for Arthritis Patients in the U.S. |
| title_full | Economic Potential for Distributed Manufacturing of Adaptive Aids for Arthritis Patients in the U.S. |
| title_fullStr | Economic Potential for Distributed Manufacturing of Adaptive Aids for Arthritis Patients in the U.S. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Economic Potential for Distributed Manufacturing of Adaptive Aids for Arthritis Patients in the U.S. |
| title_short | Economic Potential for Distributed Manufacturing of Adaptive Aids for Arthritis Patients in the U.S. |
| title_sort | economic potential for distributed manufacturing of adaptive aids for arthritis patients in the u s |
| topic | 3-D printing additive manufacturing arthritis adaptive aid distributed manufacturing economics motor skills person–environment interaction cost-effective |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2308-3417/3/4/89 |
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