Eye tracking in the assessment of electrocardiogram interpretation techniques

Human observers with varying degrees of expertise interpret the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) in different ways. In this work the authors investigate whether eye tracking can be used to gain an insight into how a human observer interprets the 12-lead ECG. A clinical scientist interpreted 29 ECGs whilst an eye tracking device was used to record eye movement patterns. The time dedicated to studying each lead across all 29 ECGs was recorded. The observer dedicated 26% of his time to studying the rhythm strip and only 1% of his time to studying lead aVR (t-test: p-value < 0.01). Eye tracking has the potential to provide an insight into how an individual observer interprets an ECG.