Efficacy validation of a low-cost handmade simulator (SIMCA-COW) in palpation, ultrasonography evaluation, and artificial insemination in cows

Vet World Vol.16 January-2023 Article-17

Research Article

Veterinary World, 16(1): 144-148

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2023.144-148

Carolina Balão da Silva^1,2 and Elvira Matilla Pinto^1,2

1. Agrarian School of Elvas, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Elvas, Portugal.
2. VALORIZA–Research Centre of Endogenous Resource Valorization, Portalegre, Portugal.

Background and Aim: Using simulators in high education enables practical training by repetition in circumstances close to reality reducing the stress of both animal and operator. The limited resources of veterinary schools, the increase in the number of students in lecture halls, and the low availability of animals for teaching due to welfare regulations, reduce teaching opportunities with live animals being simulator as the better alternative. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a low-cost handmade simulator (SIMCA-COW) in eight veterinary students inexperienced in palpation, ultrasonography evaluation, and artificial insemination in cows.

Materials and Methods: Two sets of exercises were carried out: structure localization by rectal palpation and ultrasonography were evaluated by the inexpert veterinary students in the SIMCA-COW simulator. Also, evaluated the length of time to insert the insemination catheter through the cervix in the inert simulator during four sessions.

Results: All the students were able to palpate both structures and to locate the body and both uterine horns by ultrasonography. Cervix and follicles were located by 5/8 (62.5%) students and 3/8 (37.5%) students found the corpus luteum by ultrasonography. A reduction in time span between the first and fourth intrauterine insemination attempts was observed (8.26 ± 2.7 vs. 3.69 ± 1.7; mean ± standard error; p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The simulator validated in this study (SIMCA-COW) allows training and learning by repetition, saving the limitations found in live animal practice. Keywords: artificial insemination, bovine rectal palpation, simulator, ultrasonographic evaluation.

Keywords: artificial insemination, bovine rectal palpation, simulator, ultrasonographic evaluation.

How to cite this article: da Silva CB and Pinto EM (2023) Efficacy validation of a low-cost handmade simulator (SIMCA-COW) in palpation, ultrasonography evaluation, and artificial insemination in cows, Veterinary World, 16(1): 144–148.

Received: 24-08-2022 Accepted: 07-12-2022 Published online: 23-01-2023

Corresponding author: Elvira Matilla Pinto E-mail: elvirapinto@ipportalegre.pt

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.144-148

Copyright: da Silva CB and Pinto, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.