Developing the 'Ouch-o-meter' to teach safe and effective use of pressure for palpation

Many clinical examinations involve palpation and part of the diagnostic process depends on the application of pressure. Teaching and learning such skills is difficult especially for internal examinations. A modification to a veterinary virtual reality (VR) simulator, the Haptic Cow, was planned to teach safe and effective use of pressure for bovine pregnancy diagnosis. Expert technique was captured when veterinarians performed pregnancy diagnosis in a simulated environment. The information is being used to calibrate a pressure indicator, the 'Ouch-o-meter' that together with palpation profiles will provide guidance for students