Ear examination is a cornerstone of clinical practice, and thanks to an enduring collaboration between Adam,Rouilly and Professor Tony Wright, Emeritus Professor of Otolaryngology, this vital skill can now be taught more authentically than ever before.
Professor Wright, an ENT Consultant, has been working closely with our product development team for nearly a decade to transform the way otoscopy is taught.
Our initial collaboration in 2016 led to the creation of an innovative trainer, featuring real-life images of 48 ear conditions displayed on a high-resolution digital screen, enabling students to experience the diversity of actual clinical findings in a safe learning environment.
Now, through further collaboration with Professor Wright, we’re delighted to launch the new Enhanced Digital Ear Examination Trainer. This represents the latest step in our shared mission to make clinical education as immersive, lifelike and versatile as possible.
Realistic ear drum examination
In the enhanced model, an extended library of 59 common and rare ear conditions are displayed with exceptional clarity on a high-resolution circular LCD screen, now showing true-to-life colour and anatomical accuracy.
An intuitive 4.3-inch touchscreen interface allows users to browse, search, and select conditions or create custom teaching sets, ideal for structured lessons, self-directed study, or examinations.
As well as giving students a realistic experience of using an otoscope to look into the ear drum, with soft, flexible, lifelike pinna and ear canal, they can also assess a wide range of conditions that may otherwise take years to present themselves in clinic.
Every image originates from Professor Wright’s clinical work, allowing students and practitioners to explore a wide spectrum of scenarios.
From classroom to clinic – preparing medical students for real patients
“When we first started working together, there wasn’t really a model that allowed learners to practise examining the ear drum properly,” Professor Wright recalls.
“Adam,Rouilly had the model-making expertise and I had the photographs from my patients. Putting those together was the beginning of something quite special.
“It has enhanced learning considerably, because it allows students to see normal ear drums, in all their different forms, and then differences from that. It’s much better than looking at pictures in a book.”
Emphasising the educational value of realistic, immersive, learning experiences, Professor Wright added: “To experience the range of ear conditions in real life would take years and probably hundreds of patients. But even if a condition is rare, they need to be able to identify it. “With this model, learners can study normal and abnormal ear drums, developing the diagnostic and descriptive skills they’ll rely on throughout their careers.”
The Enhanced Digital Ear Examination Trainer is suitable for medical students, GP trainees, audiologists and ENT specialists. It supports every stage of otoscopy education, from basic orientation to advanced diagnostic reasoning and treatment planning.
Each iteration of the trainer has been informed by real-world teaching experience and user feedback, ensuring that every enhancement serves a true learning purpose.
“It’s taken years to get to this point because it takes a long time to collect the images, either because the conditions are rare, or images are not of sufficient quality. In children, for example, it’s hard to get decent images due to the shape of the child’s ear.
“I’m also quite particular, because I want it to be as good as it can be, and the product developers at Adam,Rouilly don’t mind me doing that, because they share that value. It’s been a real privilege to work with them.”
Collaboration in medical education solutions
Adam,Rouilly Director of Products, Research and Development, Daniel Mogentale, said: “Working in collaboration with the industry experts to design medical education solutions that solve real world training needs is one of our core values at Adam,Rouilly.
“We’re here to create and supply products that will give medical students access to the best possible training experiences to set them up for successful careers.
“To do this, we need to work closely with the clinicians, consultants, professors and educators who are using these items day in, day out.
“We are incredibly grateful to Professor Wright and all the other experts who get involved in developing products with us.”
For more information about realistic, long-lasting clinical skills simulators and task trainers, please get in touch with our Sales Team, who are always happy to offer advice about the products available within your budgets.
