Visual Learning in Electrocardiography Training for Medical Residents: Comparative Intervention Study

Although electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation training begins early in medical school, achieving accuracy in interpretation of 12-lead ECG remains a persistent challenge. We conducted a pilot educational program to compare the effectiveness of a conventional didactic lecture, self-drawing, and self-drawing following a flipped classroom (SDFC) approach.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three instructional strategies-traditional didactic lecture, self-drawing, and SDFC approach-in improving ECG interpretation skills among first-year postgraduate (PGY-I) medical residents.

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

The groups involving self-drawing, both combined with and without a flipped classroom approach, demonstrated better performance on the written summative examination. These findings highlight the benefits of self-drawing in integrating theoretical knowledge with practical approaches to ECG interpretation.

Our study demonstrated promising effects of self-drawing on the recognition of ECG patterns, which could address the inadequacies of traditional classroom teaching. It can be incorporated into routine teaching after validation in a larger cohort.