Last month Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns paid a visit to Bournemouth University to get an update on a medical project that he had last viewed in 2011.
The project, led by Dr. Venky Dubey in collaboration with Poole Hospital, has created an epidural simulator that will help to train doctors to carry out the procedure, reducing the risk of harm to patients.
The simulator uses complex software that mimics the variable conditions involved in giving a real-life epidural to a woman in labour, allowing doctors to safely practice in a way that will lead to more successful results in real-life.
The project has been the subject of international attention, and recently won the prestigious Institution of Engineering and Technology Innovation Award amongst 400 entries from 30 countries.
Following his visit Conor said: "It has been fantastic to catch up on the hard work of Dr Venky and his colleagues on the epidural simulator project. I am confident that this will, in time, make a real difference to both doctors and patients, and goes to show the inspiring contribution that Bournemouth University has to make to medical science."