Validation of a bovine rectal palpation simulator for training veterinary students

No abstract available

Impact of haptic 'touching' technology on cultural applications

No abstract available

Validation of the Haptic Cow: A simulator for training veterinary students

A virtual reality simulator, the Haptic Cow, has been developed using touch feedback technology for training veterinary students to perform bovine rectal palpation of the reproductive tract. The simulator was designed to supplement existing training and address some of the difficulties associated with teaching palpation-based skills. Students need to achieve a certain level of proficiency by graduation but this has become increasingly difficult because of problems with current training methods and a reduction in the number of opportunities to practice. A simulator- based teaching tool was developed as a potential solution. The first step involved designing a simulator on the basis of requirements established through consultation with both veterinary surgeons, as teachers, and students, as learners. Research was then undertaken to validate the simulator by following a set of established criteria described for the evaluation of new technologies used in medical education. The virtual models were assessed by experts as realistic enough representations of the same structures in the cow. An experiment to assess the effect of simulator training compared the performance of one group of students, whose training was supplemented with a simulator session, with another group of traditionally trained students. The subsequent performance for finding and identifying the uterus when examining cows for the first time, was significantly better for the simulator trained group, indicating that skills learned in the simulator environment transferred to the real task. A project was also undertaken to integrate the simulator into a curriculum, with training included as part of the farm animal course at the University of Glasgow Veterinary School. The training was well received by students, useful feedback was gathered and the simulator continues to be used as part of the course. Further developments were undertaken with the aim of creating a more versatile teaching tool and addressing some of the questions and issues raised. An automated version of the Haptic Cow was designed for students to use on their own, with computer guidance replacing the instructor's role. An evaluation found that the new version of the teaching tool was both usable and an effective way of equipping students with the skills required to find and identify the uterus. The potential to use haptic technology to investigate various aspects of performance was also explored in relation to the question of hand choice for certain palpation-based skills: differentiating between objects on the basis of softness and size. Ongoing research and development options are discussed, with the aim of building on the current work by expanding the role of haptic technology in veterinary education in the future

VISIO-HAPTIC DEFORMABLE MODEL FOR HAPTIC DOMINANT PALPATION SIMULATOR

Vision and haptic are two most important modalities in a medical simulation. While visual cues assist one to see his actions when performing a medical procedure, haptic cues enable feeling the object being manipulated during the interaction. Despite their importance in a computer simulation, the combination of both modalities has not been adequately assessed, especially that in a haptic dominant environment. Thus, resulting in poor emphasis in resource allocation management in terms of effort spent in rendering the two modalities for simulators with realistic real-time interactions. Addressing this problem requires an investigation on whether a single modality (haptic) or a combination of both visual and haptic could be better for learning skills in a haptic dominant environment such as in a palpation simulator. However, before such an investigation could take place one main technical implementation issue in visio-haptic rendering needs to be addresse

Efficacy validation of a low-cost handmade simulator (SIMCA-COW) in palpation, ultrasonography evaluation, and artificial insemination in cows

Background and Aim: Using simulators in high education enables practical training by repetition in circumstances close to reality reducing the stress of both animal and operator. The limited resources of veterinary schools, the increase in the number of students in lecture halls, and the low availability of animals for teaching due to welfare regulations, reduce teaching opportunities with live animals being simulator as the better alternative. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a low-cost handmade simulator (SIMCA-COW) in eight veterinary students inexperienced in palpation, ultrasonography evaluation, and artificial insemination in cows. Materials and Methods: Two sets of exercises were carried out: structure localization by rectal palpation and ultrasonography were evaluated by the inexpert veterinary students in the SIMCA-COW simulator. Also, evaluated the length of time to insert the insemination catheter through the cervix in the inert simulator during four sessions. Results: All the students were able to palpate both structures and to locate the body and both uterine horns by ultrasonography. Cervix and follicles were located by 5/8 (62.5%) students and 3/8 (37.5%) students found the corpus luteum by ultrasonography. A reduction in time span between the first and fourth intrauterine insemination attempts was observed (8.26 ± 2.7 vs. 3.69 ± 1.7; mean ± standard error; p < 0.05). Conclusion: The simulator validated in this study (SIMCA-COW) allows training and learning by repetition, saving the limitations found in live animal practice

Pseudo-Haptics for Rigid Tool/Soft Object Interaction Feedback in Virtual Environments

This paper proposes a novel pseudo-haptics soft object stiffness simulation technique which is a marked improvement to currently used simulation methods and an effective low-cost alternative to expensive 3-DOF haptic devices. Soft object stiffness simulation is achieved by maneuvering an indenter avatar over the surface of a virtual soft object by means of an input device, such as a mouse, a joystick, or a touch-sensitive tablet. The alterations to the indenter avatar behavior produced by the proposed technique create for the user the illusion of interaction with a hard inclusion embedded in the soft object. The proposed pseudo-haptics technique is validated with a series of experiments conducted by employing three types of 2-DOF force-sensitive haptic surfaces, including a touchpad, a tablet with an S-pen input, and a tablet with a bare finger input. It is found that both the sensitivity and the positive predictive value of hard inclusion detection can be significantly improved by 33.3% and 13.9% respectively by employing tablet computers. Using tablet computers could produce results comparable to direct hand touch in detecting hard inclusions in a soft object. The experimental results presented here confirm the potential of the proposed technique for conveying haptic information in rigid tool / soft object interaction in virtual environments

VISIO-HAPTIC DEFORMABLE MODEL FOR HAPTIC DOMINANT PALPATION SIMULATOR

Vision and haptic are two most important modalities in a medical simulation. While visual cues assist one to see his actions when performing a medical procedure, haptic cues enable feeling the object being manipulated during the interaction. Despite their importance in a computer simulation, the combination of both modalities has not been adequately assessed, especially that in a haptic dominant environment. Thus, resulting in poor emphasis in resource allocation management in terms of effort spent in rendering the two modalities for simulators with realistic real-time interactions. Addressing this problem requires an investigation on whether a single modality (haptic) or a combination of both visual and haptic could be better for learning skills in a haptic dominant environment such as in a palpation simulator. However, before such an investigation could take place one main technical implementation issue in visio-haptic rendering needs to be addresse

Anatomical Evaluation of Rat and Mouse Simulators for Laboratory Animal Science Courses

According to the European Directive 63/2010/EU, education and training involving living rats and mice are classified as an animal experiment and demands the implementation of the 3Rs. Therefore, as a method of refinement, rat and mouse simulators were developed to serve as an initial training device for various techniques, prior to working on living animals. Nevertheless, little is known about the implementation, anatomical correctness, learning efficiency and practical suitability of these simulators. With this in mind, a collaborative research project called &ldquo;SimulRATor&rdquo; was initiated to systematically evaluate the existing rat and mouse simulators in a multi-perspective approach. The objective of the study presented here was to identify the anatomical strengths and weaknesses of the available rat and mouse simulators and to determine anatomical requirements for a new anatomically correct rat simulator, specifically adapted to the needs of Laboratory Animal Science (LAS) training courses. Consequently, experts of Veterinary Anatomy and LAS evaluated the anatomy of all currently available rat and mouse simulators. The evaluation showed that compared to the anatomy of living rats and mice, the tails were perceived as the most anatomically realistic body part, followed by the general exterior and the limbs. The heads were rated as the least favored body part

A personal view on basic education in reproduction : Where are we now and where are we going?

This article explores the current and expected direction of education in reproduction at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University. The current reproductive course in the Bachelor's programme is described. Based on the yearly routine course evaluation, changes have been started and continue to be implemented, and the educational ideas behind it are defined. Interactive e-learning modules that combine knowledge clips, animations, and quizzes have been developed. For the practical classes, e-modules with instructional videos have been paired to the written material. Using these new tools during self-study, students have to prepare for the necessary face-to-face classes that contain more in-depth discussions and practical training. In the second part, the author describes his expectations for further educational development. The growth of effective self-study using e-learning, besides traditional textbooks, before more in-depth face-to-face classes is likely to occur. With the growth of modern possibilities, such as the haptic technique and virtual reality, a better preparation in laboratory skills before practical training with animals is expected. In the author's opinion, despite all new learning methods and material, small group, face-to-face lectures, and practical classes with animals or animal material remain absolutely necessary. This article concludes with some lessons learned during the current adaptation of the course

Desenvolvimento e avaliação de simuladores como recursos didáticos para o treinamento de habilidades clínico veterinárias

Orientadora : Profª Drª Simone Tostes de Oliveira StedileCo-orientadora : Profª Drª Carla Forte Maiolino MolentoDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Agrárias, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias. Defesa: Curitiba, 24/03/2015Inclui referênciasÁrea de concentração : Ciências veterináriasResumo: O uso de métodos alternativos para o treinamento de procedimentos clínicos na Medicina Veterinária constitui uma possibilidade de superar dois grandes problemas atuais: um de ordem ética, que é a utilização de animais vivos como recursos didáticos, e outro de ordem técnica, que é a oportunidade limitada de os estudantes desenvolverem e exercitarem suas capacidades clínicas. Simultaneamente, o desenvolvimento de métodos alternativos possibilita a implementação do princípio ético dos 3Rs, substituição, redução e refinamento do uso de animais no ensino. Considerando-se as vantagens do uso de métodos alternativos, desenvolveu-se um simulador de paciente canino que permitiu aos estudantes o treinamento da técnica de palpação prostática. O uso de métodos alternativos para o treinamento clínico ainda é um assunto negligenciado em muitos cursos de Medicina Veterinária, o que motivou a segunda parte deste trabalho, a elaboração de um guia para a realização de uma oficina sobre métodos alternativos com o intuito de expandir o conhecimento ético e técnico dos participantes. A oficina resultou em um notável envolvimento dos participantes com o tema e na criação de quatro modelos alternativos para o treino de procedimentos clínicos. Palavras-chave: educação humanitária, substituição, aprendizado prático, métodos alternativos, ética.Abstract: The use of alternative methods for clinical training in veterinary medicine is an opportunity to overcome two major issues in contemporary practice: an ethical one, which is the use of live animals as teaching resources, and a technical one, which is the limited opportunity for students to develop and exercise their clinical skills. Simultaneously, the development of alternative methods enables the implementation of the ethical principle of the 3Rs, replacement, reduction and refinement of animal use in teaching. Considering the advantages of using alternative methods, we developed a canine patient simulator that allowed students to train the prostate palpation technique. The use of alternative methods for the clinical training is still a neglected subject in many veterinary medicine courses, which led us to the second part of this work, the development of a guide for conducting a workshop on alternative methods in order to expand ethical and technical knowledge of the participants. The workshop resulted in a notable participant involvement with the topic and the creation of four alternative models for training of clinical procedures. Keywords: humane education, replacement, practical learning, alternative methods, ethics