Designing and usage of a low-cost penile model for male medical circumcision skills training in Rakai, Uganda

Objective: To describe the designing and usage of a locally made low-cost penile model used for male medical circumcision (MMC) skills training.

Material and methods: The Rakai MMC training team has experienced a number of challenges during conduct of MMC skills training, one of which was the lack of a model to use for MMC skills training. To address this challenge, the Rakai MMC skills training team has designed and developed a low-cost penile model for use in MMC skills training.

Results: The model has been successfully used to demonstrate external penile anatomy, to describe the biological mechanisms through which male circumcision (MC) prevents HIV acquisition, and for demonstration and practice of the MMC procedures.

Conclusions: With an initial cost of only $10 and a recurrent cost of $5, this is a cost-efficient and useful penile model that provides a simulation of normal penile anatomy for use in MC training in resource-limited settings. It has also been used as a visual aid in preoperative education of patients before receiving male circumcision. The model can be improved and scaled up to develop cheaper commercial penile models.