EDUCATE: An international, randomized controlled trial for teaching electrocardiography.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cardiology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Healthcare professionals exhibit significant gaps in electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation skills.
• Existing ECG learning solutions lack practicality, evidence-base, and accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of web-based, learner-directed interventions in improving ECG interpretation skills.
• To evaluate ECG learning solutions for a diverse group of healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• International prospective randomized controlled trial with 1206 healthcare professionals.
• Four groups: ECG question bank, lectures, hybrid, and control (no resources).
• Pre- and post-intervention tests assessing ECG interpretation performance over four months.

Main Results:

• All intervention groups (question bank, lectures, hybrid) showed significant ECG interpretation skill improvement (11.4%, 9.8%, 11.0% average score increase).
• Control group had non-significant improvement (0.8%).
• Intervention groups outperformed the control group significantly in adjusted scores and confidence.

Conclusions:

• Web-based, self-directed interventions effectively enhance ECG interpretation skills.
• These accessible, evidence-based solutions address critical competency gaps in healthcare professionals.