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Review
. 2017 Dec;29(4):229-239.
doi: 10.3946/kjme.2017.69. Epub 2017 Nov 29.

Podcasting in medical education: a review of the literature

Daniel Cho  1 , Michael Cosimini  1 , Juan Espinoza  1
Affiliations
Review

Podcasting in medical education: a review of the literature

Daniel Cho et al. Korean J Med Educ. 2017 Dec.

Abstract

Podcasts are increasingly being used for medical education, both within teaching institutions and on an international scale by major journals. To date, there are no evidence-based guidelines for the development of educational podcasts. To review the state of the literature, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and ERIC were searched in May 2016 for articles describing audio format podcasts used in medical education. Eighty-four articles met inclusion criteria. A qualitative synthesis of the evidence was done using Kirkpatrick's model for evaluating outcomes. Twenty-four articles described reaction outcomes, eleven described learning outcomes, and one described behavioral outcomes. None measured patient impact. The literature demonstrates that podcasts are both feasible and accepted by learners. The mean length of reported podcasts was 18 minutes, which falls within the recommended range in at least one paper, and is consistent with reported listener preference. Interview format, clear disclosures, and accurate information were reported as desirable. There is limited evidence showing the efficacy of podcasts as teaching tools, or regarding best practices in making podcasts. More rigorous studies evaluating efficacy, changes in behavior, and changes in patient outcomes need to be performed in order to prove podcasts' value and to justify production costs.

Keywords: Continuing medical education; Graduate medical education; Medical education; Webcasts as topic.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest

None.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.. PRISMA Flow Diagram
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.. Reported Podcast Lengths
Based on 17 papers that reported podcast duration. Midpoint of range used for articles that reported a range of lengths. For example if article reported podcasts ranged from 10 to 15 minutes, a length of 12.5 minutes was used for this figure.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.. Kirkpatrick’s Outcomes Hierarchy
Donald Kirkpatrick’s Four Level Evaluation Model is one of the best known evaluation methodologies for educational processes. The number of citations in this study in each category is in parenthesis.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.. Number of Citations per Year
A comparison of the citations per year in this study versus all PubMed citations that result from searching the term "podcast*".
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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