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Title Claps Level Year L/Y
Interpretation of electrocardiograms by doctors
Hugh Montgomery, Steven Hunter, Susie Morris, R. Naunton-Morgan, Ruth Marshall
After marking examination papers of medical students, one of us (HM) found that only one in 50 students correctly identified the PR and QT intervals of the electrocardiogram. As a cardiothoracic surgeon was also unable correctly to identify these in…
After marking examination papers of medical students, one of us (HM) found that only one in 50 students correctly identified the PR and QT intervals of the electrocardiogram. As a cardiothoracic surgeon was also unable correctly to identify these intervals we investigated whether such knowledge was lacking in doctors in general. An illustration of a standard electrocardiogram (8 cm × 3 cm) was presented on a single sheet of A4 paper. One hundred and fifty eight doctors of diverse specialty and seniority (table) were asked to mark the PR and QT intervals with arrows. These intervals are defined in a standard way internationally and are discussed in various text books.*RF 1-5* If a candidate was able successfully to mark the PR interval and to state what time interval the smallest square on an electrocardiogram represents when recording at standard speed (25 mm/s), he or …
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5 1994