Electrocardiogram abnormalities in primary care patients

All electrocardiograms (ECGs) from a primary care setting during a one-year period were analyzed. A total of 370 ECG tracings were recorded during 2.1 percent of patient visits. Of these tracings 62.4 percent were interpreted as normal. Only 15 different ECG diagnoses were needed to interpret 96.5 percent of the ECG tracings (97.2 percent of total diagnoses). These data can facilitate design of ECG curricula for family medicine training programs.