ABOSS

Collaborators

This project was done in collaboration with Duke-NUS Medical School.

Overview

Adjustable breast oncoplastic surgery learning tool for Medicine students.

Background

Currently, female human volunteers are used as mark-up lessons involve a visual and tactile component, requiring the learner to maneuver the breast to perform the mark-up. As volunteers will have to undress in front of a group of learners and allow markings to be drawn on her breasts, it is hard to recruit volunteers. In addition, each session is usually done with a small group of learners due to privacy reasons, and volunteers may have participation fatigue, further limiting the number of mark-ups done each session.

Breast models have been developed to teach mark-up. However, each model is expensive (about USD800), and are not reusable after a single teaching session. The models can only be used for the practice of certain techniques pertaining to particular breast sizes, since the breast shape and size of each model is fixed. However, in reality, different techniques are used for each breast size. Hence, having an easily adjustable and cost-effective breast teaching model will allow for the practice of various techniques catered to different breast sizes.

Key Problem(s)

There is no known simulator that can be adjusted to fit different cases for the training of oncoplastic breast conserving surgery.

Objective

Adjustable Breast Oncoplastic Surgery Simulator (ABOSS) aims to expose students to the wide variety of breast size and ptosis. The benefits of this model over current existing teaching models are:

1. Allows variations in the breast volume to permit the teaching of various techniques catered to different breast sizes
2. Eliminates the logistic issues of recruiting volunteers of different breast sizes and is more cost effective compared to the current single use breast models
3. Allows the practice of various techniques repeatedly and for prolonged sessions, with more doctors being trained

Solution

ABOSS is a physical training model that is adjustable to fit a variation of breast size and ptosis.

Deployment and Usage

ABOSS was showcased at the following locations:

• NAMIC 2019

Gallery

Project Contact

Team Members