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Quantifying the medical student learning curve for ECG rhythm strip interpretation using deliberate practice.

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Obtaining competency in medical skills such as interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs) requires repeated practice and feedback. Structured repeated practice and feedback for ECGs is likely not provided to most medical students, so skill development is dependent on opportunistic training during clinical rotations. Our aim was to describe: the amount of deliberate practice completed for learning ECG rhythm strip diagnoses in first year medical students, the learning curve for rhythm strip diagnosis, and student experiences with deliberate practice. Methods: First year medical students from two medical schools were provided with online rhythm strip practice cases. Diagnostic accuracy was measured throughout practice, and students were provided feedback for every case they completed. Total cases practiced and time spent practicing were correlated with their performance during practice and on an exam. Results: 314 of 384 (82%) students consented. The mean number of ECGs each student practiced was 59 (range 0-280), representing 18,466 total instances of deliberate practice. We generated mathematical models that accurately correlated both the number of cases practiced and time spent practicing, with diagnostic accuracy on an exam (p<0.001). For example, students would need to spend on average of 112 minutes and complete 34 practice cases to obtain 75% on an ECG rhythm strip exam. Student satisfaction was high using the online cases. Conclusions: We succeeded in delivering deliberate practice for ECG rhythm strip interpretation to a large cohort of students at 2 medical schools. We quantified a learning curve that estimates the number of cases and practice time required to achieve pre-determined levels of diagnostic accuracy. This data can help inform a competency-based approach to curriculum development.

SUBMITTER: Waechter J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6737266 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Quantifying the medical student learning curve for ECG rhythm strip interpretation using deliberate practice.

Waechter Jason J Reading David D Lee Chel Hee CH Walker Mathieu M

GMS journal for medical education 20190815 4

<b>Objectives:</b> Obtaining competency in medical skills such as interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs) requires repeated practice and feedback. Structured repeated practice and feedback for ECGs is likely not provided to most medical students, so skill development is dependent on opportunistic training during clinical rotations. Our aim was to describe: the amount of deliberate practice completed for learning ECG rhythm strip diagnoses in first year medical students, the learning curve fo ...[more]

PMID: 31544140

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Project description:BackgroundMost medical students lack confidence and are unable to accurately interpret ECGs. Thus, better methods of ECG instruction are being sought. Current literature indicates that the use of e-learning for ECG analysis and interpretation skills (ECG competence) is not superior to lecture-based teaching. We aimed to assess whether blended learning (lectures supplemented with the use of a web application) resulted in better acquisition and retention of ECG competence in medical students, compared to conventional teaching (lectures alone).MethodsTwo cohorts of fourth-year medical students were studied prospectively. The conventional teaching cohort (n = 67) attended 4 hours of interactive lectures, covering the basic principles of Electrocardiography, waveform abnormalities and arrhythmias. In addition to attending the same lectures, the blended learning cohort (n = 64) used a web application that facilitated deliberate practice of systematic ECG analysis and interpretation, with immediate feedback. All participants completed three tests: pre-intervention (assessing baseline ECG competence at start of clinical clerkship), immediate post-intervention (assessing acquisition of ECG competence at end of six-week clinical clerkship) and delayed post-intervention (assessing retention of ECG competence 6 months after clinical clerkship, without any further ECG training). Diagnostic accuracy and uncertainty were assessed in each test.ResultsThe pre-intervention test scores were similar for blended learning and conventional teaching cohorts (mean 31.02 ± 13.19% versus 31.23 ± 11.52% respectively, p = 0.917). While all students demonstrated meaningful improvement in ECG competence after teaching, blended learning was associated with significantly better scores, compared to conventional teaching, in immediate (75.27 ± 16.22% vs 50.27 ± 17.10%, p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 1.58), and delayed post-intervention tests (57.70 ± 18.54% vs 37.63 ± 16.35%, p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 1.25). Although diagnostic uncertainty decreased after ECG training in both cohorts, blended learning was associated with better confidence in ECG analysis and interpretation.ConclusionBlended learning achieved significantly better levels of ECG competence and confidence amongst medical students than conventional ECG teaching did. Although medical students underwent significant attrition of ECG competence without ongoing training, blended learning also resulted in better retention of ECG competence than conventional teaching. Web applications encouraging a stepwise approach to ECG analysis and enabling deliberate practice with feedback may, therefore, be a useful adjunct to lectures for teaching Electrocardiography.

Project description:BackgroundRadiology is an important aspect of medicine to which medical students often do not receive sufficient exposure. The aim of this project was to determine whether the integration of an innovative e-learning module on chest x-ray interpretation of the heart would enhance the radiological interpretive skills, and improve the confidence, of first year graduate entry medical students.MethodsAll first-year graduate entry (all students had a prior university degree) medical students at the University of Limerick (n?=?152) during academic year 2015-16 were invited to participate in this study. An assessment instrument was developed which consisted of 5 radiological cases to be interpreted over a designated and supervised 15-min time period. Students underwent a pre-, mid- and post-intervention assessment of their radiology interpretative skills. An online e-module was provided following the pre-test and additional practice cases were provided following the mid-intervention test. Assessment scores and confidence levels were compared pre-, mid- and post-intervention.ResultsThe overall performance (out of a total score of 25) for the 87 students who completed all three assessments increased from 13.2 (SD 3.36) pre-intervention to 14.3 (SD 2.97) mid-intervention to 15.8 (SD 3.40) post-intervention. This change over time was statistically significant (p?<?0.001) with a medium effect size (eta-squared?=?0.35). Increases from pre- to post-intervention were observed in each of the five areas assessed, although performance remained poor in diagnosis post-intervention. Of the 118 students who provided feedback after the intervention, 102 (86.4%) stated that they would recommend the resource to a colleague to improve their interpretative skills.ConclusionsThis study suggests that early exposure to e-learning radiology modules is beneficial in undergraduate medical school curricula. Further studies are encouraged to assess how long the improvement may last before attrition.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Recruiting medical students from a rural background, together with offering them opportunities for prolonged immersion in rural clinical training environments, both lead to increased participation in the rural workforce after graduation. We have now assessed the extent to which medical students' intentions to practice rurally may also be predicted by either medical school selection criteria and/or student socio-demographic profiles. METHODS: The study cohort included 538 secondary school-leaver entrants to The University of Western Australia Medical School from 2006 to 2011. On entry they completed a questionnaire indicating intention for either urban or rural practice following graduation. Selection factors (standardised interview score, percentile score from the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT) and prior academic performance (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank), together with socio-demographic factors (age, gender, decile for the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD) and an index of rurality) were examined in relation to intended rural or urban destination of practice. RESULTS: In multivariate logistic regression, students from a rural background had a nearly 8-fold increase in the odds of intention to practice rurally after graduation compared to those from urban backgrounds (OR 7.84, 95% CI 4.10, 14.99, P?<?0.001). Those intending to be generalists rather than specialists had a more than 4-fold increase in the odds of intention to practice rurally (OR 4.36, 95% CI 1.69, 11.22, P?<?0.001). After controlling for these 2 factors, those with rural intent had significantly lower academic entry scores (P?=?0.002) and marginally lower interview scores (P?=?0.045). UMAT percentile scores were no different. Those intending to work in a rural location were also more likely to be female (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.08, 3.48, P?=?0.027), to come from the lower eight IRSAD deciles (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.47, 4.32, P?=?0.001) and to come from Government vs independent schools (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.15, 3.55, P?=?0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Very high academic scores generally required for medical school entry may have the unintended consequence of selecting fewer graduates interested in a rural practice destination. Increased efforts to recruit students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may be beneficial in terms of an ultimate intended rural practice destination.

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Quantifying the medical student learning curve for ECG rhythm strip interpretation using deliberate practice.

Publications

Quantifying the medical student learning curve for ECG rhythm strip interpretation using deliberate practice.

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