Dissemination of radiological information using enhanced podcasts

Abstract

Rationale and objectives: Podcasts and vodcasts (video podcasts) have become popular means of sharing educational information via the Internet.

Materials and methods: In this article, we introduce another method, an enhanced podcast, which allows images to be displayed with the audio. Bookmarks and URLs may also be imbedded within the presentation. This article describes a step-by-step tutorial for recording and distributing an enhanced podcast using the Macintosh operating system. Enhanced podcasts can also be created on the Windows platform using other software. An example of an enhanced podcast and a demonstration video of all the steps described in this article are available online at web.mac.com/mthapa.

Results: An enhanced podcast is an effective method of delivering radiological information via the Internet. Viewing images while simultaneously listening to audio content allows the user to have a richer experience than with a simple podcast. Incorporation of bookmarks and URLs within the presentation will make learning more efficient and interactive.

Conclusion: The use of still images rather than video clips equates to a much smaller file size for an enhanced podcast compared to a vodcast, allowing quicker upload and download times.