Definition paragraph for scholarly article

This article is based on the controversy topic of mandating electrocardiogram screenings for high school and college athletes.  An electrocardiogram (ECG) is an electrical test that measures the activity of the heart.  The electrical impulses are recorded on a graph paper, which shows any abnormalities with the heart rhythm.  ECG screenings are used to detect certain heart diseases, which may result in Sudden Cardiovascular Death (SCD).  SCD is an unexpected death in which the heart stops beating efficiently.  The controversy of mandating ECG screening involves the comparisons of clinical examination and ECG screening or clinical examination alone.  Clinical examination is a thorough physical examination performed by a primary caregiver who makes a clinical diagnosis whether the athlete is cleared to participate in sports.  In order for testing to be successful, test sensitivity and test specificity are essential.  Test sensitivity is the accuracy of the test to record certain heart conditions in any given population.  If the test sensitivity is low, the ECG is unreliable and the argument to mandate ECG screenings will cease.  Test specificity is the accuracy of the results.  Since false positive rates are a disadvantage of ECG screenings, creating more accuracy would ensure the mandating. The results must measure both positive and negative diagnosis accurately.  These terms are essential in order to understand the controversial topic of mandating ECG screening for athletes.      

Summary of Scholarly Article

In the article “Mandatory ECG Screening of Athletes: Is This Question Resolved Now?” Roy J. Shepard resolved the controversy notion of mandating ECG for all high school and college athletes.  He began his journey by over viewing many studies performed in the past.  For example, Italy mandated ECG screening and they showed a decrease of Sudden Cardiac Deaths (SCD) among Italian athletes.  The Italian study also developed clear understanding of ECG abnormalities, current calculations for a lower and beneficial costs, and comparisons between clinical examination alone or clinical examination with ECG screening.  Although the Italian study presented evidence of effective ECG screening, other sources contradict their claim.  A variety of other studies showed that few athletes are at risk for SCD and the screening only detects a few with SCD.  The studies have found that restricting physical activity has no relation with the disease.  Prolonged activity versus no activity does not decrease the chance of SCD.  After analyzing various studies, Shepard provided key points to build a more successful programming.  One key element is to focus on testing procedures which will provide an increase in test specify and reduce false positive rates.  In analyzing all the data, Shepard has concluded that mandating ECG screening would be inappropriate.  The nation’s time and money should be engaged in preventive medicine for SCD in young athletes.   

   

Rhetorical Precis of Scholarly Article

In the article “Mandatory ECG Screening of Athletes: Is This Question Resolved Now?” Roy J. Shepard asserts that mandating ECG screening will reduce sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes.  He supports his claim by providing numerous statistics from comparing ECG screening and clinical examination alone and examples from other countries that also participate in a similar conduction.  His purpose is to build awareness among his peers in order to provide enough evidence to make ECG screening mandatory process for all high school and college athletes’.  This article reflects intelligence and professionalism: it is solely base on the research the author has collect.