High Diagnostic Accuracy of Long-Term Electrocardiogram Interpretation by General Practitioners

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Digital Health
• Primary Care Medicine

Background:

• Traditional long-term ECG monitoring is typically managed by cardiologists.
• Emerging wearable devices enable remote ECG monitoring, expanding its use beyond specialized clinics.
• The ECG247 Smart Heart Sensor system offers a user-friendly, wearable solution for ECG recording.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of general practitioners (GPs) interpreting one-lead ECG recordings from the ECG247 Smart Heart Sensor system.
• To assess the diagnostic accuracy of GPs in identifying arrhythmias using this wearable ECG device.

Main Methods:

• Norwegian GPs digitally reviewed 10 long-term ECG recordings from the ECG247 system, which captured various arrhythmias.
• GPs registered the presence or absence of specific arrhythmias for each ECG examination.
• A total of 40 GPs participated, assessing all provided ECG recordings.

Main Results:

• All 40 participating GPs found the ECG tests interpretable.
• High sensitivity (98%) and diagnostic accuracy (89%) were achieved for common arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation/flutter, supraventricular tachycardia, and ventricular tachycardia.
• Specificity for identifying arrhythmias was 75%.

Conclusions:

• GPs demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy when interpreting one-lead ECGs from the ECG247 Smart Heart Sensor for common arrhythmias.
• For rare arrhythmias, consultation with a cardiologist is advised to confirm diagnoses prior to treatment.
• The study, registered as NCT04700865, supports the use of wearable ECG technology in primary care settings.