General physicians are as good as cardiologists at interpreting ECGs.

EDITOR,—A recent study identified major deficiencies in the ability of medical staff to identify normal electrocardiographic variables such as the QT interval.1 In the clinical setting, however, knowledge of such variables may be less important than the ability to use an electrocardiogram to achieve a diagnosis. Interpretation of the electrocardiogram in these circumstances is as much an art as a science, entailing recognition and assessment of subtle, frequently non-specific abnormalities.2 …