Evaluation of a teaching model for the early diagnosis of congenital dislocation of the hip.

A teaching model for the early diagnosis of congenital dislocation of the hip was evaluated. The physical signs of the dislocated hip and of the dislocatable hip closely simulated the true signs. The model was an excellent teaching aid and it enabled the students to gain practical experience in examining abnormal hips. The ability of the students to carry out the standard tests was also evaluated and, as a result, several modifications were made to these tests. A modified method of gripping the legs enabled the students with small hands to elicit the physical signs more readily. The physical signs were also easier to detect when the dislocated femoral head was scooped into the acetabulum by supination of the examiner's forearm and when the femoral head was displaced from the dislocatable hip by pronation of the examiner's forearm. The model was also useful in teaching the principles and methods of treatment of congenital dislocation and instability of the hip in the neonatal period.