Creation and Evaluation of an Anesthesiology and Critical Care Podcast

Abstract

Podcasts have become an integral part of Free Open Access Medical education. After only 1 year since launching the Anesthesia and Critical Care Reviews and Commentary (ACCRAC) podcast, more than 7000 people were listening to unique content monthly. The study goal was to capture the listeners' views of their use of educational podcasts in general and of the ACCRAC podcast in particular. After institutional review board exempt status was obtained, a request was posted on the ACCRAC site inviting users to participate in an anonymous survey. The cross-sectional survey of listeners included 18 items and was open for 2 months between April and June, 2017. A total of 279 listeners of this podcast responded with a 43% response rate. Of those, 196 (71%) were between the ages of 25 and 34, and 153 (56%) indicated that podcasts were the most beneficial education modality outside formal didactics. About half, 128 (47%), reported using podcasts 1 to 2 times per week, and 88 (32%) listened at least 3 times per week. Listeners indicated that on average they had heard 18 episodes (SD = 11.7, 40 total) in this series, and over 90% reported high levels of satisfaction with the podcast. The popularity of the podcast indicates a clear need for this type of educational modality in anesthesiology. The results suggest that there is a demand for podcasts among learners and that those who listen to podcasts do so frequently and value them because they support multitasking and provide flexible access to pertinent information.