Techniques for teaching electrocardiogram interpretation: self-directed learning is less effective than a workshop or...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cardiology
• Diagnostic Skills

Background:

• Teaching 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation presents a significant challenge for medical educators.
• Limited research exists comparing the effectiveness of various ECG teaching methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if common teaching techniques like workshops, lectures, and self-directed learning (SDL) enhance medical students' ECG interpretation abilities.
• To compare the relative effectiveness of workshop, lecture, and SDL formats in ECG education.

Main Methods:

• A prospective randomized study involving Year 4 medical students over 28 months.
• Students were assigned to workshop, lecture, or SDL teaching formats covering identical ECG interpretation content.
• Performance was assessed using pre-test, post-test, and retention tests, with statistical analysis via mixed-model repeated-measures ANOVA.

Main Results:

• All three teaching formats led to statistically significant improvements in ECG interpretation test scores (p < 0.001).
• No significant difference in test scores was observed between the lecture and workshop formats (p = 0.99).
• Students in the SDL group achieved lower scores compared to those in the workshop (p = 0.003) and lecture (p = 0.002) groups.

Conclusions:

• Workshop and lecture-based teaching formats are equally effective for improving medical students' ECG interpretation skills.
• Self-directed learning (SDL) is less effective than workshop or lecture formats for teaching ECG interpretation, resulting in lower student scores.