The Development of a Pregnancy Simulator

This paper describes research for development of a pregnancy simulator training tool. It addresses an important training need for enhanced skill training of the midwifery graduate. Midwives use tactile inspection of foetal position as a primary tool for decision making in the clinical setting. When the baby is lying in an abnormal position, it is important to be able to quickly recognise this and act accordingly. In the current Midwifery education system it is difficult to reinforce practical skills. During courses there are limited clinical placements to allow a student to gain practical experience. In the course of this experience students mostly gain exposure to normal cases, with little exposure to important abnormal cases. The aim in developing this simulator is to provide a skill development tool that can be easily used in an educational setting. Central to the simulator is tactile feedback. A simulated foetal position is provided, and the student uses tactile assessment in an attempt to determine the foetus position. Since students are timid they tend to be reticent and can miss important tactile information. There is some research on generic tactile feedback, but this simulator is unusual in that it is dedicated to detailed simulation and recognition of tactile information. We present results of limited trials of the system.