Provider performance in the recognition and treatment of telemetered electrocardiogram patterns

A test of electrocardiogram diagnostic skills in the form of a ten-slide presentation of six-second rhythm strips was administered to 25 emergency department nurses, 23 intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, 34 cardiac technicians (CRT, EMT) and 37 physicians. The ICU nurses had the best performance overall. Physicians had difficulty with mechanical problems, viz, loose leads, flat line and inverted leads. ICU nurses had less difficulty identifying and treating flat line than did emergency department nurses. The study's limitations were that the sample was self-selected and that the providers might respond differently to a real life situation.