Introduction
Medical schooling improvements past conventional lectures and textbooks have seen current implementation in ophthalmology, together with case-based studying and the “flipped classroom” mannequin, amongst different methods.1 Additional, new distant educating modalities resembling blogs, digital surgical simulation, on-line seminars, and podcasts have emerged basically medical schooling.2–4 The added utility of those new modalities was made extra apparent than ever by the COVID-19 pandemic’s alterations to conventional medical schooling.5–8
Specifically, using podcasts as an academic software has additionally been adopted by many specialties.3,9–11 Formal incorporation of podcasts in ACGME Emergency Drugs program necessities as “asynchronous studying” has been proposed.12
Though there have been ophthalmology-focused podcasts in 2019, at the moment, few have been devoted particularly to resident and trainee ophthalmic schooling.13 In response to this, the authors created Eyes for Ears, a podcast devoted to ophthalmic schooling and take a look at preparation. We beforehand described this podcast, which gives a free, open-access supplemental overview of the Fundamental and Scientific Sciences Course (BCSC) curriculum fundamentals, and its widespread uptake and use amongst trainees.14
Due to this fact, the purpose of our examine was to judge the demographics, perceived effectiveness, and lister utilization of Eyes for Ears, in addition to deal with comparability of the podcast to different sources and good thing about utilizing the podcast for wellness. We additionally report listener utilization metrics as tabulated by the podcast host.
Strategies
Podcast Creation
The Eyes for Ears podcast was launched in January 2019, and the main points of its manufacturing have been detailed elsewhere.14 The authors (BY, AP and AR) co-host the manufacturing and launch episodes biweekly. Every episode focuses on a testable topic coated within the BCSC curriculum. Episodes are roughly 20–half-hour in size. The podcast is independently funded and maintained by the authors.
Podcast Metrics
Listenership (utilization) metrics are regularly and routinely tabulated by the podcast internet hosting web site (Podbean, New York NY), and embody what number of particular person listens/downloads the podcast has obtained in addition to geographic information. This geographic information tracked the nation from which listeners accessed the podcast, and inside the USA and Canada, additionally tracks the state or province from which the listener accessed the podcast. The geographic information is just obtainable from the podcast host for the newest 24 months prior.
Survey Creation and Distribution
An 8-question survey was created by the authors, and was then reviewed and piloted by a contributing writer who didn’t take the survey (BKY) ( Appendix 1 ). Residents and college students didn’t pilot the survey.
The ultimate survey software elicited info concerning 1) An evaluation of the respondent’s eyecare background and degree of coaching, 2) Most popular podcast use (ie variety of podcasts and place of use), 3) Perceived enchancment of data, 4) How the podcast in comparison with different present instructional sources, and 5) If listening to podcast elevated time for self-care. For the survey questions that requested respondents to use a quantitative estimate for his or her impressions, a modified Likert scale starting from 0 to 100 was used, with 0 indicating no preparedness, and 100 indicating full preparedness.
The survey was then distributed by way of the Qualtrics survey platform (Qualtrics, Provo UT) between July 2019 – January 2020. The survey was distributed utilizing the podcast itself, via the podcast web site, and Twitter ( Appendix 2 ). Inclusion standards have been listeners who self-identified on the survey as ophthalmologists, optometrists, ophthalmic technicians, and their respective trainees that had listened to a minimum of one episode of Eyes for Ears. Exclusion standards included respondents reporting no background in eye care. Responses that have been seemingly faulty or duplicate submissions have been recognized by near-similar survey submission timestamps inside 10 seconds of one another that additionally had exact-match corresponding survey solutions and have been eliminated such that solely a single entry of the 2 (or a number of) submissions remained.
The examine protocol was accepted by the Yale College of Drugs Institutional Evaluate Board, and survey takers have been first introduced with an knowledgeable consent. There have been no further dangers or advantages to survey takers.
The first outcomes have been consumer confidence within the Ophthalmic Data Evaluation Program (OKAP) or written board exams earlier than and after listening to the podcast. Secondary outcomes included when and the way a lot respondents listened to the podcast, if the podcast elevated time for self-care actions, and comparability of helpfulness of the podcast for scientific or take a look at preparation in comparison with different instructional modalities.
Statistical Evaluation
We analyzed the outcomes of most well-liked podcast use and perceived change in confidence on scientific take a look at efficiency earlier than and after podcast use. This was primarily based off of the Kirkpatrick’s Coaching Analysis Mannequin Degree 1.15 Descriptive statistics have been used to summarize survey information with abstract statistics reported in proportion of respondents.
Paired information was in contrast utilizing Wilcoxon signed-rank take a look at. All statistical analyses have been performed utilizing STATA (StataCorp LLC, Faculty Station TX, USA). P-values < 0.05 have been thought of statistically important. Outcomes Podcast Metrics Information from the podcast host point out that between the time when Eyes for Ears was launched on January 10, 2019 and to September 2, 2021, the podcast was downloaded over 422,000 occasions, averaging about 4442 downloads per episode. Geographic information itemizing the variety of downloads per nation through the 2-year interval of September 2019 to August 2021 (a interval of 378,900 complete downloads) is partially listed in Desk 1. Total, people from 110 nations had accessed the podcast a minimum of 10 occasions throughout this era (Desk 1). In the USA particularly, obtain numbers for a similar interval per prime 10 particular person states are proven in Desk 2. The states with probably the most downloads have been California (9.64% of all downloads), New York (8.87%), and Texas (5.07%). Desk 1 Eyes for Ears Downloads by Nation, Throughout September 2019 to August 2021 (Prime 10 Solely) Desk 2 Eyes for Ears Downloads by US State, Throughout September 2019 to August 2021 (Prime 10 Solely) Survey Outcomes The Qualtrics survey obtained 256 responses. Of those, 47 have been excluded from evaluation: 28 have been incomplete, 7 have been from self-identified laypersons with no background in eyecare, 4 have been from physicians of different non-eyecare associated specialties, and eight have been recognized as duplicate entries. After exclusion, 209 responses remained for evaluation. Because of the technique wherein the survey was distributed, and that each one podcast customers wouldn't meet inclusion standards, it was unknown what number of includable customers have been conscious of the survey, so a exact survey response fee was not calculable. Because the audience is primarily PGY2-4 ophthalmology residents, a decrease estimate could be generated by assuming all US PGY2-4 ophthalmology residents have been conscious of the survey in July 2019, leading to a response fee of seven.9% (111/1401). Respondent coaching degree is summarized in Desk 3; the bulk have been residents (126/209, 60.3%), consultant of the audience of the podcast. The opposite listeners have been in massive majority different ophthalmology or optometry learners—29.2% (61/209) recognized as medical college students, ophthalmology fellows, or optometry college students and residents. Desk 3 Degree of Coaching Throughout All Respondents; Solely Ophthalmology Coaching Pathway Respondents (Medical College students, Residents, Fellows and Absolutely Skilled Ophthalmologists) Have been Included in Evaluation Described in Textual content Responses to categorical questions are summarized in Desk 4. Most listeners use this podcast whereas commuting (81.3%), although nearly 1 / 4 listened whereas exercising (47/209, 22.5%). A majority additionally felt the podcast elevated the time they may spend on self-care (132/209, 63.2%), and thought it improved their fund of data (207/209, 99.0%). Desk 4 Categorical Responses to Survey Questions Over Included Respondents Responses to modified Likert scale questions are summarized in Figures 1 and a pair of. Respondents recalled feeling higher ready for the OKAP or written boards after utilizing this podcast (Determine 1, earlier than median = 50/100 on modified Likert scale, IQR 30–65 vs median = 70/100, IQR 56–81, p <0.001). Of instructional supplies, together with query banks, podcasts, conventional lectures, literature articles, and textbooks, respondents recognized query banks as probably the most useful for OKAP learning, adopted by podcasts (Determine 2). Podcasts have been most well-liked over articles and lectures by way of helpfulness (p < 0.001), and there was no statistical significance between podcast and textbook helpfulness (podcast median = 75/100 on modified Likert scale, IQR 62–90 vs textbook median = 71/100, IQR 59–84, p=0.069). Determine 1 Respondents’ recall of their feeling of preparedness from 0–100, earlier than and after utilizing this podcast. Paired evaluation performed utilizing Wilcoxon signed-rank take a look at. Determine 2 Respondents’ choice for board overview supplies on a scale of 0–100. Paired analyses performed utilizing Wilcoxon signed-rank take a look at. Dialogue The Eyes for Ears podcast achieved a strong listenership viewers per the podcast host’s utilization and geographic analytics information. Additional, the pattern of the surveyed viewers signifies that these listeners felt the podcast to be helpful for his or her schooling and well-being. This work is reflective of that in different specialties performed to characterize developments in medical trainees’ use of instructional sources.16,17 That is of explicit curiosity on condition that the current proliferation of nontraditional sources (together with podcasts) has attained such momentum that there's now a motion in the direction of labeling them as “Free Open Entry Medical (Schooling)”, abbreviated FOAM.18,19 Social media platforms resembling Twitter and Instagram enable for the curated concentrating on of “#FOAM”-designated content material, with important uptake amongst college students and trainees for his or her casual medical schooling.20–22 Most survey respondents reported listening to the podcast whereas commuting. That is in keeping with different reviews that discovered as much as three quarters of surveyed medical trainees reporting the identical.23 Gottlieb et al assessed emergency medication residents who utilized instructional podcasts throughout their commute with a validated data take a look at earlier than, instantly after, and a month after this apply and located that driving whereas listening didn't appear to negatively have an effect on retention when in comparison with a management group.24 This means that listening to podcasts whereas driving is an efficient solution to enhance studying effectivity as a result of that point would in any other case be unusable for coaching. Having a mechanism to make use of that point for studying may improve trainee well-being; 63.2% of our survey respondents felt that the podcast had allowed them extra time for self-care actions. A earlier survey of members of retina societies discovered that respondents basically most well-liked conventional medical schooling over a retina podcast.13 Nonetheless, they discovered that youthful members have been extra more likely to favor the podcast medium. Equally, on this survey of trainees, podcasts have been the second highest ranked most well-liked materials, over conventional didactic lectures and textbooks. Though these variations have been statistically important, our outcomes are affected by choice bias, because the survey respondents have been present customers of the podcast. Our outcomes don't point out a devaluation of didactic lectures, textbooks or major literature, however do recommend that the podcast is a beneficial complement on this group of learners. Our examine is just not with out limitations. The primary of those is choice bias, as people who view the podcast extra favorably or use the podcast extra usually are extra seemingly to answer the survey, because it was distributed utilizing the podcast, the podcast web site, and the podcast social media. Due to this fact, respondents may be extra skewed to youthful generations of ophthalmology suppliers. Additionally, it's seemingly that people who responded usually tend to view the podcast favorably and discover it extra useful, as this survey was performed with a comfort pattern relatively than a extra goal sampling technique. As well as, a survey response fee is troublesome to calculate. Because the podcast was designed for residents within the US, it may be argued that the audience of the survey must be all US ophthalmology residents. Nonetheless, the survey reveals that college students, fellows, and even attendings additionally hearken to the podcast. The variety of podcast downloads can be not a great estimator of audience, as a number of downloads could be from the identical particular person. Moreover, a survey response fee is troublesome to estimate given the shortcoming to detect what proportion of our recognized viewers met exclusion standards. Lastly, whereas people might hearken to the podcast, they could not all the time entry the podcast web site or Twitter, the place direct hyperlinks to the survey have been supplied. One other limitation is that this examine couldn't assess the connection between podcast use and true data retention, as preparedness for exams was a subjective response. Regardless of these limitations of the survey, the continued elevated uptake of the podcast by itself, with no implementation of promoting methods or commercials, suggests trainees discover it a beneficial software.14 Future instructions will embody assessing efficacy amongst resident trainees at college residency packages particularly in coordination with program administrators, in addition to probably evaluating goal metrics resembling OKAP scores for a attainable affiliation with podcast utilization. Conclusion In abstract, the Eyes for Ears podcast has achieved a broad worldwide viewers with widespread utilization amongst ophthalmology college students and trainees. Our survey information point out that those that pay attention discover it to be an efficient instructional software that may enhance time administration effectivity and trainee well-being. This has essential implications for enhancing medical coaching in ophthalmology, particularly given the current experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic that required the implementation of distance studying in some circumstances.
