A new learning method for obstetric gestures using the BirthSIM simulator

Today, medical simulators are increasingly gaining attraction in clinical settings. These tools allow physicians to visualize the positions of organs, plan surgical interventions, and carry out more comprehensive post operative monitoring. A childbirth simulator provides a risk-free training and research tool for comparing various techniques that use obstetrical instruments or validating new methods. This paper presents a new teaching method to place forceps blades for obstetricians using an instrumented childbirth simulator. The proposed method is based on a physical simulator coupled with a computer graphics interface. Another aspect of this paper is to provide understanding marks to quantify the progression during a training. A first one allows to study the path in space and to quantify their repeatability, a second one allows to compute the error to a reference gesture defined by an expert. Both marks are complementary. Two novices were trained and they manage to have a more repeatable gesture and above all to become closer to a reference gesture, i.e. to reduce the injury linked to the use of forceps during instrumental deliveries.