Effectiveness of a Modified Phantom-based Mannequin in Improving Vaginal Toucher Examination Skills of Midwifery Students

Abstract

Introduction: The goal of clinical practice is to provide students with practical training experience and the ability to work as a team. Objective: This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of a phantom-based mannequin in improving midwifery students’ performance in vaginal toucher (VT) examinations Materials and Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design. Participants were 70 final-year midwifery students in two groups of factory mannequin (n=35) and modified mannequin (n=35). The instrument used for assessing performance was a validated 10-item scale. Data analysis was done using paired t-test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and ANCOVA. Results: Participants had a mean age of 21.6±2.2 years in the modified mannequin group and 21.3±2.4 years in the factory mannequin group. There was no significant improvement in students’ performance after using the factory mannequin, but the modified mannequin improved their skills, since there was a significant difference in VT examination performance before and after using the modified mannequin (mean difference=3.97, P=0.001). The ANCOVA results showed a significant difference in the mean post-test scores between the factory and modified mannequin groups (mean difference=1.59,η2=0.299, P<0.05). Conclusion: The modified mannequin is more effective than the common factory mannequins in improving the VT examination performance of midwifery students. For this reason, these devices are highly recommended for practical learning of VT examinations.