ArticleBMC medical education2024
How to improve medical students' ECG interpretation skills ? Multicenter survey and results of a comparative study evaluating a new educational approach.
Article in BMC medical education, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Teaching Acute Coronary Syndrome High-Risk ECG Interpretation and Clinical Decision-Making Through FOAMed Videos and Podcast Versus Print-Based Materials Among Emergency Care Providers: Randomized Controlled Mixed Methods Trial.JMIR medical education · 2026Trial
- Navigating inhabited institutionalism: A framework for electrocardiogram workshops in teaching hospitals.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2026Article
- Article
- Development and initial validation of a computerized adaptive test prototype for ECG interpretation using item response theory.PloS one · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLearning to interpret electrocardiograms (ECGs) is a crucial objective in medical education. Despite its importance, errors in ECGs interpretation are common, and the optimal teaching methods have not yet been clearly established.
objectivesTo evaluate students' confidence in ECGs analysis and their opinion on current teaching methods, and to assess the effectiveness of a new ECG educational approach.
methodsFirst, we conducted a survey on ECG learning among fourth to sixth-year medical students. Second, a 5-week multicenter comparative study was conducted with fourth-year medical students during their cardiology internship. Two different teaching methods were used, assigned by center. The first group participated in 5-minutes workshops 4 times a week using a "reversed classroom" method, supervised by a cardiologist, where students took turns selecting, presenting and discussing ECGs. The control group attended a single 2-hour face-to-face ECG course. All participants completed a 30-minute ECGs analysis test at baseline and after 5 weeks.
resultsOut of 401 survey respondents, the confidence levels in ECG interpretation were 3/5 (IQR 2-3) for routine situations and 2/5 (IQR 1-3) for emergency situations. Satisfaction with ECG teaching was low (2/5, IQR 1-3) and 96.3% of respondents favored more extensive ECG training. In the comparative study, 52 students from 3 medical schools were enrolled (control group: n = 27; workshop group: n = 25). Both groups showed significant improvement in exam scores from baseline to 5-week (33/100 ± 12/100 to 44/100 ± 12/100, p < 0.0001 for the control group and 36/100 ± 13/100 to 62/100 ± 12/100, p < 0.0001 for the workshop group). The improvement was significantly greater in the workshop group compared to the control group (+ 26 ± 11 vs. + 11 ± 6, p < 0.001).
conclusionsAmong French medical students who initially reported low confidence and insufficient skills in ECG interpretation, the workshop approach using a "reversed classroom" method was found to be more effective than conventional lecture-based teaching during cardiology internship.
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