Application of additive manufacturing/3D printing on rehabilitation and healthcare: a systematic and citation network analysis review

Application of additive manufacturing (AM)/three-dimensional (3D) printing has been a very hot area of research in recent years. The fast and easy way to get the desired product and additive function, such as anti-bacterial materials, embedded nano detective sensors. This study reviewed 197 articles on application of AM/3D printing in rehabilitation and healthcare. The distribution of these articles was investigated in terms of journal type, year of publication, methodologies, and research contexts, etc. Based on the use of citation network analysis (CNA), the result shows the selected articles (197 articles) can be divided into two directions, healthcare and rehabilitation, and healthcare monitoring and materials for 3D printing purposes. All of them represent possible opportunities for future research. Further investigation was done by conducting a Main Path Analysis of the articles to draw a map of knowledge structure within each research domain. Finally, future research opportunities and directions are proposed for each research domain, rehabilitation and healthcare. In addition, use of 3D printing materials with antimicrobial properties for healthcare and rehabilitation is having more potential in future research.