Expert Evaluation of a Medical Simulation Model for Cervical Examination to Assess Progress of Labor in Nursing and Midwifery Education: A Collaborative Technology Innovation.

BACKGROUND

Cervical examination is a crucial procedure for assessing labor progress in nursing and midwifery education; however, it may cause discomfort for parturients and provide limited opportunities for repeated practice among nursing and midwifery students. Simulation-based learning offers a safe environment to enhance learners' competence and confidence before clinical practice.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the Technology Innovation for Cervical Examination-Labor Progress Assessment Model Set (TICE-LpAms) through expert assessment.

METHODS

This study reports the expert evaluation phase of a model development process. Seventeen experts, including nursing instructors (n = 8) from the Srisavarindhira Thai Red Cross Institute of Nursing and nurse-midwives (n = 7) and obstetricians (n = 2) from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, evaluated the TICE-LpAms after hands-on use. A structured questionnaire assessed realism, usability, durability, educational applicability, cost-effectiveness, and overall satisfaction using Likert-scale items, with open-ended questions for additional comments and recommendations. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses were summarized descriptively.

RESULTS

Overall satisfaction with TICE-LpAms was rated as "strongly agree" by 70.6% (n = 12) and "agree" by 29.4% (n = 5) of experts. Experts perceived TICE-LpAms as realistic (Mean = 4.68, SD = 0.25) and cost-effective (Mean = 4.53, SD = 0.51). High ratings were also reported for educational applicability, including teaching cervical examination for labor progress assessment (Mean = 4.82, SD = 0.62), evaluating learners' performance (Mean = 4.71, SD = 0.47), and demonstrating cervical examination procedures (Mean = 4.65, SD = 0.49). The integrated endoscopic camera was recognized beneficially for real-time visualization and instructor feedback during simulation training.

CONCLUSION

TICE-LpAms demonstrated favorable expert evaluations and may serve as a promising, cost-effective simulation-based teaching tool for cervical examination to assess progress of labor in nursing and midwifery education. Further studies should evaluate its educational effectiveness among students and examine implementation outcomes.