Measuring clinician-applied forces during birth using tactile sensing technology

Abstract

A tactile sensing system (TSS), consisting of a sensing device and a data-acquisition system, is described for measuring fingertip-applied forces. The authors report on using the TSS to measure clinician-applied forces during vaginal delivery of newborns, with particular emphasis on an obstetric emergency called shoulder dystocia. Two prototype versions of the tactile sensing system have been tested in 29 random deliveries at an area teaching hospital. In 28 deliveries, the resultant force measurements correlate with the clinician's subjective evaluation of the type of delivery. Research shows that the tactile sensing system can be used to investigate the relation between clinician-applied forces and the risk of birth injury.<>