A Critical Analysis of Anesthesiology Podcasts: Identifying Determinants of Success

Abstract

BackgroundAudio and video podcasts have gained popularity in recent years. Increasingly, podcasts are being used in the field of medicine as a tool to disseminate information. This format has multiple advantages including highly accessible creation tools, low distribution costs, and portability for the user. However, despite its ongoing use in medical education, there are no data describing factors associated with the success or quality of podcasts.ObjectiveThe goal of the study was to assess the landscape of anesthesia podcasts in Canada and develop a methodology for evaluating the quality of the podcast. To achieve our objective, we identified the scope of podcasts in anesthesia specifically, constructed an algorithmic model for measuring success, and identified factors linked to both successful podcasts and a peer-review process.MethodsIndependent reviewers performed a systematic search of anesthesia-related podcasts on iTunes Canada. Data and metrics recorded for each podcast included podcast’s authorship, number posted, podcast series duration, target audience, topics, and social media presence. Descriptive statistics summarized mined data, and univariate analysis was used to identify factors associated with podcast success and a peer-review process.ResultsTwenty-two podcasts related to anesthesia were included in the final analysis. Less than a third (6/22=27%) were still active. The median longevity of the podcasts’ series was just 13 months (interquartile range: 1-39 months). Anesthesiologists were the target audience for 77% of podcast series with clinical topics being most commonly addressed. We defined a novel algorithm for measuring success: Podcast Success Index. Factors associated with a high Podcast Success Index included podcasts targeting fellows (Spearman R=0.434; P=.04), inclusion of professional topics (Spearman R=0.456-0.603; P=.01-.03), and the use of Twitter as a means of social media (Spearman R=0.453;P=.03). In addition, more than two-thirds (16/22=73%) of podcasts demonstrated evidence of peer review with podcasts targeting anesthesiologists most strongly associated with peer-reviewed podcasts (Spearman R=0.886; P=.004)ConclusionsWe present the first report on the scope of anesthesia podcasts in Canada. We have developed a novel tool for assessing the success of an anesthesiology podcast series and identified factors linked to this success measure as well as evidence of a peer-review process for a given podcast. To enable advancement in this area of anesthesia e-resources, podcast creators and users should consider factors associated with success when creating podcasts. The lack of these aspects may be associated with the early demise of a podcast series.

Understanding the Use and Perceived Impact of a Medical Podcast: Qualitative Study

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Texting Brief Podcasts to Deliver Faculty Development to Community-Based Preceptors in Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships

“…Podcasts in medical education vary in length, and the ideal duration for these has yet to be determined. 25 Given the limited time community-based faculty have available for educational activities, we hypothesized that a short duration would be better received by and more accessible to busy clinicians. Most preceptors listened to at least three podcasts, but only one-quarter of participants listened to all five podcasts.…”

Creation and Evaluation of an Anesthesiology and Critical Care Podcast

“…One study found a total of 22 anesthesiology themed podcasts between 2005 and 2016. 3 This study reported that only 6 out of 22 podcasts were still active in 2016 and that the median longevity of the podcasts was 13 months. Podcasts have been available for a similar amount of time in both emergency medicine and anesthesiology specialties as have competing formats such as audio digests, weblogs (blogs), RSS (really simple syndication) feeds, and wikis.…”