The skill of nursing students trained in the evaluation of electrocardiographic trace: a comparison with emergency nurses

Background and aim of the work: Cardiovascular diseases represent the main cause of death in Italy. Early recognition of pathological electrocardiographic (ECG) trace is an important skill for nurses. The theo- retical knowledge and the practical skills on the recognition of pathological ECG trace of trained nursing students were compared with those of emergency nurses. Methods: The study involved 35 nursing students and 41 nurses from the emergency room, emergency medicine and ambulance service. Students were previously trained through a theoretical and practical ECG course. The data were collected using two questionnaires aimed at evaluating in the two groups the ability to recognize electrocardiographic signs. The tools were up- loaded to an online platform and remotely administered. Results: Both the students and the nurses showed a satisfactory theoretical knowledge of the ECG trace, with a statistically significant difference in favor of the nurses. Regarding practical skills, both groups showed difficulty in recognizing pathological electrocardio- graphic signs, particularly blockages and acute coronary syndromes. Conclusions: Nursing students’ knowledge of ECG did not differ much from that of nurses. Training through simulation probably played a key role in improving the skill of ECG evaluation among students. More theoretical and practical courses on ECG should be recommended in Nursing Programme.