Medical Podcasting in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Needs Assessment and Vision for the Future

Quality of Trauma Surgery Podcasts in Credibility, Content, and Design

Importance

There has been an emerging trend of podcast use in medical education over the past decade. With the increasing number of podcasts and learners' interest in trauma surgery, it is vital to validate the quality of these podcasts.

Objective

To determine the quantity and quality of podcast episodes on trauma surgery.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study identified trauma surgery podcasts published globally on the Google, Apple, and Spotify platforms as of May 31, 2023. An initial screening excluded podcasts not fulfilling the inclusion criteria (published as of May 31, 2023, and covering clinical knowledge or mentorship on general trauma surgery). A 10-item checklist developed from a modified Delphi consensus method was created to assess the podcasts' credibility, content, and design as indicators of quality. Data extracted from each podcast episode included the duration, setting, host and guest credentials, and fulfillment of quality indicators. Data were analyzed on August 13, 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The quality of each podcast was assessed using the 10-question checklist. A score of at least 80% in credibility (4 of 5 points), 75% in content (3 of 4 points), and 100% in design (1 of 1 point) was required to classify a podcast episode as having good quality.

Results

The initial search identified 204 podcasts on trauma surgery, of which 55 podcasts met the inclusion criteria. All 55 podcasts were published after 2014, with the majority hosted by males (85% [61 of 72 hosts]), based in the US (91% [50 of 55 podcasts]), and focused on clinical knowledge (80% [44 of 55 podcasts]). Podcast hosts and guests predominantly held a Doctor of Medicine degree (83% [113 of 136]), with 72% [46 of 64] of guests identifying as practicing trauma surgeons. While all 55 podcasts had excellent quality in terms of content and design, 20% (11 of 55) of podcasts were rated poorly on credibility. Credibility was further reduced for 60% (33 of 55) of podcasts because of nondisclosure of conflicts of interest.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study of trauma surgery podcasts, most had good-quality content and design, but there was a lack of explicit conflict of interest disclosure. Content producers need to disclose their conflicts of interest appropriately to ensure credibility and improve the quality of their podcasts.

How to use podcasts in neurology

Virtual learning resources such as podcasts and social media are increasingly used in medical education. Podcasts are one example of virtual learning, where prerecorded audio files are available to stream or download from the internet, usually without a fee and at any time. This gives listeners flexibility in when and where they engage with the educational material, enabling learning to be better tailored to individual needs. Podcasts are often enjoyed for their relaxed and conversational style. However, listeners must be aware of the lack of external peer review and incomplete coverage of information. There are also risks inherent to distant learning, including depersonalisation of medical education. We describe the roles that podcasts now play in neurological education, exploring some of the ways that they can be used to enhance neurological training both as a learner and educator and giving our top tips, based on our own experiences, for anyone keen to add to the expanding field of available podcasts.

Microbe Mail: A microbiology and infectious diseases podcast for clinicians and students

Microbe Mail medical podcast is an audio-only informal educational platform, which addresses widespread topics in medical microbiology and infectious diseases (ID), with a particular focus on low- and middle-income settings. Podcasting has become a common form of informal learning in healthcare education and for continual professional development (CPD).

Contribution

In this article, we discuss the development of the Microbe Mail podcast, its informal microbiology and ID education impact in the 2 years since commencement and future directions to improve uptake in Africa and low- and middle-income countries.

Novel e-learning platform for orthopaedic training in LMICs: A descriptive review of the IGOT portal

Background

While e-learning has been written about extensively within the context of orthopaedics in the United States, there are few articles describing e-learning initiatives geared towards low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Institute for Global Orthopaedics and Traumatology (IGOT) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) developed the IGOT Learning Portal to meet this need.

Methods

The IGOT Learning Portal was designed to address knowledge gaps in patient care by increasing access to high-quality orthopaedic education for surgeons and trainees worldwide. It offers 10 distinct, asynchronous courses, which are divided into a modular format. Course enrollment is free and accessible to any surgeon or trainee with a web-browsing capable device and internet connection.

Results

There are more than 2700 registered users and 300 active learners enrolled in IGOT Learning Portal courses. The Surgical Management and Reconstructive Training (SMART) program is the most commonly taken course. Learners represent 32 different countries across six continents. The IGOT portal also has surgical videos available on YouTube. The IGOT Portal YouTube channel has over 2000 subscribers and over 143,000 total views.

Conclusions

The IGOT Learning Portal is an innovative approach to address the global disparity in orthopaedic trauma care by improving access to high-quality surgical education for surgeons and trainees both in the US and internationally. The development of an interactive online forum may be a beneficial addition to the Portal. Future directions include assessing content retention, participant interaction, and expanding existing content to other orthopaedic subspecialties.

Be in the Digital Room Where it Happens, Part II: Social Media for Neurology Educators

Social media has changed the way we communicate and interact. Unsurprisingly, it has also changed how we teach and learn. Younger generations of learners have transitioned from traditional educational sources to digital ones. Medical educators need to adapt to trends in medical education and develop fluency in the digital methods used by medical learners today. This is part two of a two-part series on social media and digital education in neurology. This article provides an overview of how social media can be used as a teaching tool in medical education and provides an overview in which it is grounded. We offer practical strategies on how social media can promote lifelong learning, educator development, educator support, and foster educator identity with accompanying neurology-specific examples. We also review considerations for incorporating social media into teaching and learning practices and future directions for integrating these tools in neurology education.

Learning Through Listening: A Scoping Review of Podcast Use in Medical Education

PURPOSE

To improve understanding of podcast use in medical education by examining current research on descriptive attributes and educational outcomes, highlighting implications of the current evidence base for educational practices, and identifying research gaps to guide future investigation.

METHOD

The authors conducted a scoping review, searching PubMed and Embase databases in June-July 2020 for English-language studies of audio-only medical education podcast use in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. The authors excluded studies without original data or with nonphysician data that could not be separated from physician data. From included studies, the authors extracted data regarding descriptive outcomes (e.g., podcast use, content areas, structure) and educational outcomes (classified using Kirkpatrick's 4 levels of evaluation).

RESULTS

Of 491 unique articles, 62 met inclusion criteria. Descriptive outcomes were reported in 44 studies. Analysis of these studies revealed podcast use has increased over time, podcasts are a top resource for resident education, and podcasts are being incorporated into formal medical curricula. Educational outcomes were reported in 38 studies. The 29 studies that assessed learner reaction and attitudes to podcasts (Kirkpatrick level 1) showed learners value podcasts for their portability, efficiency, and combined educational and entertainment value. The 10 studies that assessed knowledge retention (Kirkpatrick level 2) showed podcasts to be noninferior to traditional teaching methods. The 11 studies that assessed behavior change (Kirkpatrick level 3) showed improved documentation skills in medical students and self-reported practice change in residents and practicing physicians after listening to podcasts. None of the studies reported system change or patient outcomes (Kirkpatrick level 4).

CONCLUSIONS

Future research should focus on the optimal structure of podcasts for learning, higher-level outcomes of podcasts, and the implementation of podcasts into formal curricula. Podcasts may prove to be essential tools for disseminating and implementing the most current, evidence-based practices.

Consume, Contribute, and Create: Succeeding as a Learner and Educator in the Digital Era

From medical student to professorship, the practice of medicine requires lifelong learning. The unforgivingly rapid expansion of medical literature often renders traditional educational resources quickly outdated if not altogether obsolete. Conversely, increasingly popular digital platforms are easily accessible and quickly updated, offering vital adjuncts to traditional resources for the modern student. Further, platforms such as podcasts and social media may be particularly well suited for adult learners who tend to be problem centered, self-directed, internally motivated, and time constrained. Social media empowers all participants, thereby blurring the boundaries between learners and educators. Here we review novel digital educational platforms, discussing both potential benefits and pitfalls, and then provide a three-pillared approach—consume, contribute, and create—to help the modern medical professional harness the potential of both traditional and novel resources to succeed as both a learner and educator.

The benefits of virtual learning webinars to both low and high-income countries

The 2019 Covid pandemic has brought about many changes in the relationships between high income countries (HICs) and partner organisations in low or low-middle income countries (LMICs), such as predominate in sub-Saharan Africa. Medicine, surgery and in particular urology is no exception to the changes that Covid-19 has demanded. Urolink represents the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) on the global urology stage and has been deleteriously impacted by the pandemic. Education, one of the pillars of Urolink's founding philosophies, has conventionally been delivered by face-to face (F2F) teaching, training or mentoring by UK urologists at their host's site outside of the United Kingdom (UK). As a consequence of the inability to travel due to the pandemic, BAUS Urolink has evolved a virtual online webinar package evolved by, and delivered between, urologists in Lusaka, Zambia, and various centres in the United Kingdom. The aim was to deliver curricular-based educational topics to trainees in both countries. This programme has generated a number of live webinars, and archived recordings, during the pandemic that has proven accessible, and educationally acceptable, to trainees in the UK and Zambia. This webinar series has also generated relationships between young urologists on different continents, given each a different view of healthcare delivery outside of their country of origin at no appreciable cost, and would appear to be an educational mechanism that is durable for, and applicable to, a wider participation in the post-pandemic world.