Clinical Trial: Study of Two Teaching Techniques to Teach Cardiac Auscultation to Physicians

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Self-Directed Study Using MP3 Players Versus Multimedia Lecture to Improve Auscultation Proficiency of Physicians: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

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.

Detailed Summary:

Participants All non-cardiologist physicians were eligible for the study and responded to recruitment advertising. 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. Participants were randomized by study investigators using a table of random numbers. All participants were given an MP3 player at the time of enrollment for compensation of their time, but received no grade for participation. Participants provided their informed consent before enrolling in the study.

Educational Interventions Following the pretest, 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.

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,
Sponsor: The Reading Hospital and Medical Center

Current Primary Outcome: Improvement in auscultation score at 4 and 12 weeks [ Time Frame: 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.


Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

  • Learner Satisfaction [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
    Both groups were asked to rate satisfaction with the teaching modality at the pretest and posttesting via 6-point Likert scale.
  • Learner confidence [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
    Both groups were asked to rate confidence in their auscultatory skill at the pretest and posttesting at 12 weeks on a 6-point Likert scale.


Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: The Reading Hospital and Medical Center

Dates:
Date Received: May 8, 2012
Date Started: January 2011
Date Completion:
Last Updated: May 10, 2012
Last Verified: May 2012