500 repetitions of 4 cardiac murmurs improved auscultatory proficiency of medical students

According to a 2004 study in Chest, the ability of medical students to recognize heart murmurs is poor (20%), and does not improve with subsequent years of training.

Five hundred repetitions of four basic cardiac murmurs significantly improved auscultatory proficiency in recognizing basic cardiac murmurs by medical students. These results suggest that cardiac auscultation is, in part, a technical skill.

Related resources

The Heart Sounds Tutorial by Blaufuss.org is a fancy flash-based simulator with animations. The McGill University Virtual Stethoscope is another useful website. Click here for more web-based teaching resources for hearts sounds from UCLA and breath sounds from Loyola University.

References:

Mastering cardiac murmurs: the power of repetition. Barrett MJ, Lacey CS, Sekara AE, Linden EA, Gracely EJ. Chest. 2004 Aug;126(2):470-5.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15302733

Image source: Modern stethoscope. Wikipedia, public domain.

Physical Examination Videos

Tai Chi and Cardiac Rehabilitation - Mayo Clinic Video

For hundreds of years people have practiced the Chinese martial art of Tai Chi for its many health benefits. Researchers who study Tai Chi say it can help reduce blood pressure, decrease anxiety, improve flexibility and much more. For these reasons, some doctors at Mayo Clinic have embraced Tai Chi and are teaching it to their patients.

Related reading:

Tai chi helps balance in people with Parkinson's: "It can't cure the disease. But it can slow down the progression" (http://goo.gl/r6Gx5).