Nationwide Evaluation of an Eight-Week Interactive Online Electrocardiogram Training Program for Nurses: A...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Nursing Education
• Medical Training

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death globally.
• Early electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation by nurses can facilitate timely intervention.
• Nurses play a crucial role in managing life-threatening arrhythmias.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an eight-week "Electrocardiogram Capacity Building Program for Nurses" certificate course.
• To assess improvements in nurses' knowledge of ECGs, arrhythmia management, and interpretation skills.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design was employed with 80 nurses randomly allocated.
• A 16-hour online learning activity was conducted.
• Standardized questionnaires were used for pre-test and post-test assessments.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in ECG knowledge and arrhythmia identification (N=76).
• Mean ECG knowledge scores increased from 12.30 to 17.42.
• The proportion of nurses with poor rhythm identification skills decreased from 46.9% to 5.8%.

Conclusions:

• Online training effectively enhanced nurses' ECG interpretation and arrhythmia management skills.
• No significant association was found between training effectiveness and participant demographics.