Dr Michael Barrett and study
co-author Dr Archana Saxena enjoy songs from the
heart on an iPod
Photo credit: Temple University
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Next time you see a med student
bobbing their head to the playlist on their iPod, don't
assume that thump thump thump is the latest Timbaland
tune. It could just as easily be the lub-dub —
or lub-swish-dub — of "Heart Songs," cardiologist
Mike Barrett's new tool to teach tomorrow's doctors
the fine art of cardiac auscultation.
NEW
PHILLY SOUND
"The traditional way of teaching this stuff is through
the didactic lecture, which typically includes samples
of heart murmurs," says Dr Barrett, a cardiologist and
associate professor of medicine at Temple University
in Philadephia. "But recognizing a heart murmur isn't
an intellectual skill — it's a technical skill.
It takes repetition." That's why Dr Barrett decided
to develop "Heart Songs."
The program comes with a bundle
of sound files of different heart murmurs that can be
downloaded onto an iPod or other mp3-player (there's
also some educational software included). "Using simulated
murmurs, we can provide students with solid templates
of what different heart murmurs sound like," adds Dr
Barrett.
Considering the number of times
physicians listen to people's hearts with their stethoscopes
each day, Dr Barrett thinks "Heart Sounds" could have
a huge clinical impact. In fact, he presented results
of a recent study at the annual meeting of the American
College of Cardiology in late March that underscore
its efficacy.
A group of 150 internists was trained
to identify five types of heart murmur by listening
to each one 400 times. The rate of correct identification
went from 40% accuracy to near 80% — that's about
as good as a cardiologist.
"I had med students listen to murmurs
to determine how much repetition was enough," says Dr
Barrett. "The magic number turned out to be 500. And
from our tests, the training should last for at least
nine months."
LIFESAVING,
AND HIP
On top of being useful, the program is also practical
because mp3 players are so portable — and ubiquitous.
"It started with compact discs, at home," says Dr Barrett.
"But I soon learned about the practicality of the iPod,
tried it out myself, and then rewrote the material for
the mp3 format. Now we're using it at Temple, as part
of the curriculum. It's web-based, so the students can
download the songs, and take the tests online. They
perform very well."
While the sound of a thousand heartbeats
might not strike you as the most thrilling soundtrack
for your morning commute, Dr Barrett says the bottom
line is it works. "At the end of the course at Temple,
we ask the students if they're satisfied with their
training and if they hear the murmurs, and the answers
are nearly always yes. The program's well-received and
effective, and our data supports this, too."
For more info, visit www.cardiosource.com/heartsounds
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