[Current status of cardiac electrophysiology training in Germany]

Cardiac electrophysiology training of young cardiologists forms the foundation of optimal heart rhythm patient care. In particular, cardiac electrophysiology is characterized by continuous innovation and has progressed rapidly over the last few years. This may have led to a gap between clinical training and the new technologies and could significantly change training requirements.

The aim of the survey was to obtain the opinion of young cardiologists about the current importance and satisfaction of cardiac electrophysiology training and to identify areas for improvement.

The survey was conducted in May 2020. Young DGK (Deutschen Gesellschaft für Kardiologie, German Society for Cardiology) members were contacted via e‑mail and asked to answer an online-based questionnaire. The questionnaire containing information about the current status, satisfaction, and structures of educational and clinical proficiency of cardiac electrophysiology in Germany.

Overall, 131 young DGK members completed the survey. Mean age was 33 ± 3.3 years and 68% of the participants were male. Among the participants, 64% were cardiology fellows, while 36% were qualified. A total of 72 participants (53%) reported overall satisfaction with their clinical training and 50% of the participants held the opinion that cardiac electrophysiology should become a larger part of their education. Training courses and fellowships were rated mostly positive (70% vs. 93%, respectively); however, the later were unknown to 41% of the participants. Areas identified for improvement included the following: establishment of general cardiac electrophysiology rotation; enabling access to procedures to gain invasive skills; increased advertising for training courses and fellowships; increase of online-based training courses.

The survey underlines the interest of young cardiologists in an intensified cardiac electrophysiology training within their cardiology training.