Visualizing to Learn: The Impact of Self-Drawing on Residents' ECG Interpretation Skills

Although the training course of electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation was started early in medical school, the accuracy in interpretation of 12-lead ECG is always a challenge issue. We conducted a pilot educational program to compare the effectiveness of a conventional didactic lecture, self-drawing (SD), and self-drawing following a flipped classroom approach (SDFC).

To evaluate the effectiveness of three instructional strategies-traditional didactic lecture, self-drawing (SD), and self-drawing following a flipped classroom approach (SDFC)-in improving electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation skills among first-year postgraduate (PGY-I) medical residents.

This study was conducted by postgraduate-year (PGY)-I residents at MacKay Memorial Hospital over three years. The study enrolled 76 PGY-I residents, who were randomized into three groups: conventional control group (group 1), SD group (group 2) and SDFC group (group 3). All participants were provided with the same learning material and didactic lectures. Knowledge evaluation was performed using pre-tests and post-tests were conducted using questionnaires.

The groups involving SD, whether combined with a flipped classroom or not, demonstrated better performance on the written summative examination. These findings highlight the benefits of SD in integrating theoretical knowledge with practical approaches to ECG interpretation.

Our study demonstrated the promising effects of SD on the recognition of ECG presentations, which could make up for the inadequacies of traditional classroom teaching. It can be incorporated into routine teaching if proven successful in a larger cohort.