“It’s Only Brain Surgery”: Using 3D Printing and Simulation to Prepare Rural Physicians for the Management of Acute Epidural Hematoma

Patients presenting to rural emergency departments with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) can be challenging to diagnose, manage, and treat and although the presentation is rare, it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. In areas such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, where the majority of the province is located far from tertiary care, this problem can be compounded by adverse weather impeding transport, necessitating that the problem is handled by rural physicians instead of neurosurgical care. However, many rural medical personnel do not receive any formal training in treating increased ICP. In this technical report, we use a low-tech, low-cost, high fidelity 3D printed skull to outline a simulation of increased ICP to better prepare rural physicians and emergency department teams who may encounter such a scenario in their practice in a rural area.