An assessment of the basic knowledge about the eletrocardiogram of medical graduates

Abstract

The electrocardiogram is one of the tests most commonly used in medical practice due to its low cost and its simple and noninvasive character. However, it is observed in the clinical practice, the difficulty of medical and non-medical professionals in interpreting the electrocardiographic tracings. To evaluate the teaching and learning regarding the ECG in various stages of medicine course of the University Center of the State of Pará (CESUPA). The study is a descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based containing 6 questions about ECG, distributed for students of fourth, eighth and tenth periods of the medicine course of CESUPA in the period March-April 2015. Each questionnaire contained questions according to the degree of knowledge on interpretation of ECG expected for each stage of the course. Total correct answers rates of 60.53% were found for students of the fourth period, 55.26% for the eighth period students and 47.92% for the tenth period students. It also found that students of more advanced periods had lower average correct anwers in cardiac physiology issues, and the batting average of the issues dealing pathophysiological diagnosis based on the ECG was greater than the issues that dealt with electrophysiology. The hit average in the survey questions dealing with the cardiac electrophysiology decreased according to advancing student in medical school. As the ratio of pathophysiological diagnosis based on electrocardiography, it was found that the hit average varied according to the pathology addressed the issue, and the issue with higher average hit was the one that was on acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation with 94.28% average settlement by students of the eighth and tenth periods and with lower hit rate was concerned that addressed the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation 25% average accuracy for the tenth time students.