Effectiveness of an Active Methodology for Learning ECG during the Internal Medicine Internship

Abstract Background Studies have shown a low accuracy of urgent care physicians in interpreting electrocardiogram (ECG) in severe cardiovascular conditions. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of an ECG learning method in internal medicine internships and to know the perception of interns regarding learning before and after the methodology. Methods This study used a database with the results of an ECG pre- and post-test of the classes in the internal medicine internship from 2017 to 2022. A qualitative questionnaire was sent with questions for self-assessment of perception of learning. Results The study included a total of 227 students, 161 of whom (70.9%) were female. The mean age was 26.4 ± 4.2 years old. The pre-test mean was 3.75 ± 2.0 points, and the post-test mean was 8.48 ± 1.5 points, showing a statistically significant difference, even after stratification by sex, age, and course period (p