Asteroids® and electrocardiograms: Proof of concept of a simulation for task-switching training

Abstract

Introduction: Emergency physicians are interrupted during patient care with such tasks as reading electrocardiograms (ECGs). This phenomenon is known as task-switching which may be a teachable skill. Our objective was to evaluate the potential of a video game for simulating the cognitive demands required of task-switching. Methods: Emergency medicine residents took a pretest on ECG interpretation and then a posttest while attending to a video game, Asteroids®. Results: The 35 residents (63%) who participated, scored worse on the ECG posttest then they did on the pretest (p