Utilizing Supplemental Online Modules for Physician Assistant Student Electrocardiogram Interpretation Training

The literature suggests that graduating medical and physician assistant (PA) students lack competency in electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation. This project aimed to determine whether use of perceptual adaptive learning modules (PALMs) would improve PA students' ECG interpretation, alter self-perceptions of their ECG education, or both.

PALMs were incorporated into the PA curriculum after lecture-based ECG learning. Students' pretest, posttest, and delayed-posttest scores were then compared. Students' ability to correctly interpret ECGs (accuracy) and the percentage of ECGs accurately interpreted within 15 seconds or less (fluency) also were evaluated. Finally, students' perceptions of PALMs and overall ECG training were assessed.

PALM training improved ECG interpretation accuracy and fluency (p < .0001), as well as delayed-posttest accuracy and fluency (p < .0001). The majority of student respondents felt supplemental training enhanced their learning.

These perception results combined with data on ECG interpretation improvement supports continued use of supplemental PALMs in ECG interpretation training.