Is computer-assisted instruction more effective than other educational methods in achieving ECG competence amongst medical students and residents? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives It remains unclear whether computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is more effective than other teaching methods in acquiring and retaining ECG competence amongst medical students and residents. Design This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data sources Electronic literature searches of PubMed, databases via EBSCOhost, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and grey literature were conducted on 28 November 2017. We subsequently reviewed the citation indexes of articles identified by the search. Eligibility criteria Studies were included if a comparative research design was used to evaluate the efficacy of CAI versus other methods of ECG instruction, as determined by the acquisition and/or retention of ECG competence of medical students and/or residents. Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently extracted data from all eligible studies and assessed the ri...