Study of Two Teaching Techniques to Teach Cardiac Auscultation to Physicians

NCT01596465 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: TRHMC-049-010
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 83
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Our objective was to test two educational interventions for teaching cardiac auscultation: self-directed learning using portable audio files versus a single, massed multimedia lecture intervention similar to current best practice, to determine which would most effectively increase recognition of common cardiac sounds by physicians. The investigators hypothesized that doctors learning on their own time could better improve their skills.

Conditions

Heart Murmur

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Improvement in auscultation score at 4 and 12 weeks

  Primary outcome was an improvement in test score from pre-test to 4 and 12-week post-test. All participants took a 15-question pretest in addition to a posttest at 4 and 12 weeks using identical heart sound files to those used in training. Each test Tests consisted of 8-second clips of each heart sound file, with 10 beats of each sound.

  12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Learner Satisfaction

  12 weeks

• Learner confidence

  12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Control

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Control arm

Other: Multimedia Lecture

Intervention

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Intervention arm

Other: Self-Study using MP3 Player

Interventions

Self-Study using MP3 Player OTHER

Participants in the interventional arm of the study were given an MP3 player which contained eight, 15-second heart sound files (7 pathologic heart sound files and 1 normal heart sound file) alternated with nine leisure songs. MP3 players could play files in order or "shuffle" files in random order. Each heart sound file was introduced by the narrated phrase "Identify this sound,", followed by 10 beats of a heart sound recording, then the narrated identification of the heart sound. Participants were asked to use the MP3 player in order to improve their auscultation skills as often as they could and asked to record their activities while listening, but were given no further training.

Also known as: Self-Study

Intervention

Multimedia Lecture OTHER

Following the pretest, participants in the control arm received a 1-hour multimedia lecture (Power Point) taught by the same faculty member (AGK), which reviewed the pathophysiology, exacerbating and relieving factors, as well as visual diagrams of the heart sounds. The normal and seven pathologic heart sounds were played for participants during the lecture for a total of 2 minutes through high-quality home stereo speakers, exposing learners to 1280 beats in the 1-hour session. Abnormal sounds were taught in groups of systolic, diastolic and extra sounds, and were first introduced by name, and then as unknowns using mixed practice in each of the three sections.

Also known as: Lecture

Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• All non-cardiologist physicians from one institution were eligible for the study. Participants were 83 non-cardiologist physician volunteers (57 practicing physicians, 26 residents in training) from one Academic Independent Medical Center in the Northeastern United States enrolled between January 11, 2011 and February 25, 2011.

You may not qualify if:

• Cardiologists,
• Non-physicians.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Reading Hospital and Medical Center: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Reading Hospital and Medical Center

West Reading, Pennsylvania, 19612, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Heart Murmurs

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Anthony A Donato, MD

  The Reading Hospital and Medical Center

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Antony G Kaliyadan, MD

  The Reading Hospital and Medical Center

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine, Reading Hospital and Medical Center; Clinical Associate Professor, Internal Medicine, Jefferson Medical College

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 8, 2012
• First Posted: May 11, 2012
• Study Start: January 1, 2011
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2011
• Study Completion: October 9, 2012
• Last Updated: June 2, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-05

Locations

US (1)