New training and qualifications in electrocardiography

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is the most commonly performed cardiac investigation in the world. It has been estimated that in Europe alone, up to 300 million ECGs may be recorded annually ( World Health Organisation, 1981 ). The test is fundamental to many cardiac diagnoses, and it is recorded in a wide range of healthcare settings. Despite the clinical importance and ubiquity of the ECG, until very recently there has not been any nationally recognised qualification in the UK to certify competence either in carrying out the procedure or interpreting the result. The only professional group who have had to undergo formal training and assessment in ECG recording and interpretation in order qualify are cardiac physiologists, yet once they are qualified cardiac physiologists record very few ECGs, devoting their time instead to more specialist procedures such as echocardiography and the follow-up of implanted devices. Most ECGs are probably recorded by healthcare practitioners who have not undergone formal training and assessment in practical electrocardiography and who do not hold a recognised qualification in the technique.