Cognitive Process during Palpation and Basic Concept of Remote Palpation System

This paper will examine the cognitive processes involved in palpation in order to develop an appropriate remote palpation system. In a conventional remote palpation system, the tactile condition of the patient is conveyed to the doctors using a force feedback system. A clarification of the cognitive process during palpation suggests that the purpose of palpation is to formulate a clear idea about the patient's medical problems using the tactile sensation as a trigger to combine the results of other assessments, past experience and memory, and patient reactions to the doctor's touch. This is in contrast to the objective of acquiring the detailed tactile condition of the affected body part. In order to demonstrate this purpose, we will describe the two significant signal pathways for the perception of tactile sensation, both in doctors and patients. The perception of doctors progresses as the result of active touch to the affected part, thereby implying that the simultaneous stimulation of kinaesthetic and tactile sensation is necessary. Conversely, the tactile sensation experienced by patients is the result of passive touch, which evokes a more subjective and emotional response. Patients both explicitly and implicitly perceive the stimulation, and doctors use these perceptions as reactions of the pain to the doctors' touch. This paper proposes the fundamental concept of a remote palpation system, “Palpation Reality beyond Real”, to achieve the purpose of palpation. Palpation reality implies a system in which the whole cognitive process progresses at the same level or better than palpation in the standard examination, rather than presenting the real tactile sensation.