No abstract

Background Podcasts are used increasingly in medicine. There is growing research into the role of podcasts in medical education, but the use of podcasting as a tool for pediatric parent/caregiver health education is largely unexplored. As parents/caregivers seek medical information online, an understanding of parental preferences is needed. Objective We sought to explore health care professional and parent/caregiver awareness and views on podcasting as a health education tool. Methods This survey study was conducted and distributed via in-person collection from parents/caregivers (≥18 years old) in the waiting room of an academic pediatric primary care clinic, targeted social media promotion, and professional listservs for health care professionals in pediatrics. Statistical analysis included chi-square tests of independence between categorical variables. Results In total, 125 health care professionals and 126 caregivers completed the survey. Of those surveyed, 81% (101/125) of health care professionals and 55% (69/126) of parents/caregivers listened to podcasts (P<.001). Health care professionals and parents/caregivers listed the same top 3 quality indicators for medical podcasts. Podcast listeners were more likely to have higher incomes and use professional websites for information. The survey elicited a variety of reasons for podcast nonengagement. Conclusions Health care professionals appear to be more engaged in medical education podcasts than parents/caregivers. However, similar factors were valued when evaluating the quality of a pediatric podcast: accuracy, transparency, and credibility. Professional websites may be one avenue to increase podcast uptake. More needs to be done to explore the use of podcasts and digital media for medical information.

No abstract

UNSTRUCTURED Background: Podcasts are used increasingly in medicine. There is growing research into the role of podcasts in medical education, but the use of podcasting as a tool for pediatric parent/caregiver health education is largely unexplored. As parents/caregivers seek medical information online, an understanding of parental preferences is needed. We sought to explore healthcare provider and parent/caregiver awareness and views on podcasting as a health education tool. Methods: This survey study was conducted and distributed via in-person collection from parents/caregivers (>18 years old) in the waiting room of an academic pediatric primary care clinic, targeted social media promotion, and professional listservs for healthcare professionals in pediatrics. Statistical analysis included chi-square tests of independence between categorical variables. Results: 125 healthcare professionals and 126 caregivers completed the survey. Of those surveyed, 81% of healthcare professionals and 55% of parents/caregivers listened to podcasts (p <0.001). Healthcare professionals and parents/caregivers listed the same top three quality indicators for medical podcasts. Podcast listeners were more likely to have higher incomes and use professional websites for information. The survey elicited a variety of reasons for podcast non-engagement. Discussion: Healthcare professionals appear to be more engaged in podcasts than parents/caregivers for medical information. However, similar factors were valued when evaluating the quality of a pediatric podcast: accuracy, transparency, and credibility. Professional websites may be one avenue to increase podcast uptake. More needs to be done to explore the use of podcasts and digital media for medical information.

No abstract