Can Pediatric Practitioners Correctly Interpret Electrocardiograms?

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of participation in an educational presentation on electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation in children on pediatric practitioners' ability to accurately interpret ECGs.

STUDY DESIGN: Pediatric healthcare providers at a pediatric clinic with >65 000 visits/year were eligible to participate. A 1-hour ECG educational module that provided a systematic approach to ECG interpretation was presented to 8 providers who consented (6 pediatricians, 2 pediatric nurse practitioners). A test on 11 ECGs (normal, normal-variant, and abnormal ECGs) was given before and 2 weeks after the educational module. Outcomes included correct interpretation of each ECG as normal or abnormal and correct identification of specific ECG findings. Data analysis was descriptive and included χ2 and Student t test.

RESULTS: Mean score (SD) for correct interpretation of ECGs as normal or abnormal improved from 35% (48%) (95% CI 25.0-45.4) to 77% (42%) (95% CI 68.3-86.2) after the ECG educational module (P < .001). Mean (SD) pretest score for correct identification in the normal ECG category improved from 45% (50%) (95% CI 28.9-61.1) to 68% (47%) (95% CI 52.3-82.7) (P= .003). In the abnormal ECG category, correct identification improved from 31% (47%) (95% CI 17.6-44.9) to 83% (5%) (95% CI 72.4-94.3) after the module (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: Education of pediatric practitioners on ECG interpretation significantly improves their ability to distinguish normal from abnormal and to identify specific abnormalities. Limitations included small sample size and short-term follow-up.