These types of models are primarily used for medical training and public health education. Here's a breakdown of their uses:
* **Teaching Self-Examination:** They help individuals learn how to perform breast self-exams correctly, familiarizing them with the normal feel of breast tissue and how to identify potential lumps or abnormalities. Many models contain palpable (feelable) lumps of varying sizes and textures to simulate different conditions like cysts, fibroadenomas, and cancerous tumors.
* **Clinical Training:** Medical students, nurses, and other healthcare professionals use these models to practice clinical breast examinations, developing their palpation skills to detect subtle changes in breast tissue.