Novice interpretation of screening electrocardiograms and impact of online training

- The British Medical Journal's Online Electrocardiogram Training program improves the accuracy of interpretation of pre-participation ECGs.
- Accuracy of interpretation diminishes over time.
- Fellowship directors should consider incorporation of online modules into standard training curriculum.

IntroductionIt is not known whether there is a specific training method that improves the accuracy of physician interpretations of pre-participation electrocardiograms (ECGs).MethodsParticipants took an online test and interpreted a series of normal, normal variant and abnormal ECGs. They then reviewed the BMJ's ECG interpretation online learning module and completed a post-test and a follow-up examination three months later.Results28 fellows enrolled. The average correct for the pre-test was 63.57%, which increased to 81.19% for the post-test (p ≤ 0.0001). When evaluating for retention, the average fell to 73.33% (p = 0.0116) but was still significantly improved from baseline (p = 0.0253).ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that the accuracy of fellows' interpretation of ECGs significantly improved after completion of BMJ modules. Results of this study will likely impact the training of future sports medicine fellows and should encourage fellowship directors to incorporate the BMJ's ECG interpretation module as part of their curriculum.