Background: Cardiovascular surgery demands deep knowledge of the heart’s intricate three-dimensional (3D) anatomy, but current teaching methods do not adequately develop students’ spatial skills. Advances in precise imaging and 3D printing offer transformative potential for clinical education. In this study, taking the teaching of cardiovascular surgery as an example, we aimed to integrate precision imaging and 3D printing technologies with case-based learning (CBL), problem-based learning (PBL), and team-based learning (TBL). Our objective was to explore digital teaching approaches in clinical surgery and address the limitations of current learning models in spatial visualization training. Methods: This study employed a parallel design randomized controlled trial (RCT) methodology. A total of 80 clinical medicine students from the 2020 cohort, currently undertaking their practicum in the Department of Cardiac Great Vascular Surgery at The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, were randomly assigned into two groups: a digital teaching group and a case-, problem-, and team-based learning (C-P-TBL) teaching group, each comprising 40 students. The digital teaching group utilized an innovative digital teaching approach, enhanced by precision imaging and 3D printing technology. In contrast, the C-P-TBL teaching group employed an integrated teaching model combining CBL, PBL, and TBL. The two groups were compared via theoretical and skills assessment, along with the analysis of teaching quality questionnaires and teaching satisfaction metrics, so as to evaluate the incremental benefits conferred by digital tools within the existing teaching framework. Results: The digital teaching group demonstrated superior performance compared to the C-P-TBL teaching group, as evidenced by higher scores in theoretical knowledge (86.28±10.756 vs. 80.25±9.440), clinical skills (87.90±7.530 vs. 83.05±7.473), and overall assessment (86.93±8.131 vs. 81.37±7.716). Based on the results of the teaching quality questionnaires, the digital teaching group demonstrated a statistically significant superiority over the C-P-TBL teaching group in several areas: self-learning ability, comprehension and application of theoretical knowledge, problem discovery and analysis skills, spatial imagination capability, and overall self-comprehensive ability. Conclusions: The integration of digital technologies, exemplified by precision imaging and 3D printing, with CBL, PBL, and TBL methodologies, has been shown to significantly enhance the spatial visualization skills of medical students. This approach not only improves their theoretical understanding and technical proficiency, but also leads to higher self-assessment of abilities and increased satisfaction with the teaching process. Consequently, this pedagogical strategy merits consideration for widespread implementation in the clinical education of cardiovascular surgery. © AME Publishing Company.
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