THE CREATION AND EVALUATION OF AN INEXPENSIVE, ANATOMICALLY CORRECT UTERINE MODEL FOR INTRAUTERINE DEVICE (IUD) INSERTION TRAINING

Introduction/Objective: The intrauterine device (IUD) can safely and effectively provide contraception for up to 10 years for those women choosing to delay or prevent pregnancy. Family physicians are well suited to provide this service for women who choose this method. Skill training for IUD insertion should ideally begin on a simulator that closely mimics female anatomy, yet such simulators can be expensive and difficult to obtain. This study evaluates the utility of an inexpensive, anatomically correct uterine model for IUD insertion training that can be made in a low resource setting. Methods: A vaginal/uterine model was constructed with polyvinyl chloride pipe (PVC), modeling clay, and a heat hardened modeling gel. Total cost for construction was approximately $20US. Eighteen Family Medicine residents used the model for training and were surveyed after the educational session. Results/Conclusions: Sixteen of eighteen residents (89%) agreed that using the model significantly improved their IUD placement skills. Seventeen of eighteen residents (94%) agreed that using the model made them confident they could place an IUD safely and correctly. Of those residents who had experience with IUD placement, 12/12 agreed that the model was very realistic. These data demonstrate the utility of this inexpensive uterine model for IUD insertion training.