Paediatric Free Open Access Meducation (FOAM): behaviours, trends and implications

Abstract

IntroductionFree Open Access Meducation (FOAM) describes online resources assisting learning in medicine. Little is known about users or their behaviours.MethodsUsing Google Analytics for a popular FOAM site (www.paedatricfoam.com), we explored user demographics and patterns of behaviour. We analysed these further with descriptive and statistical tests using SPSS (version 26). Data are presented as mean (SD).ResultsThere were 181.44 (75.16) mean daily users accessing the site throughout a 4-month period during 2018/2019. 68.9% of users were female; 44% were 25–34 years; 57.3% used a mobile device. The mean session duration was 73.55 (9.41) seconds, with more time spent per session and a greater number of pages per session observed in users accessing the site from a desktop or tablet as opposed to a mobile phone. 84.3% of mobile users left the site after viewing a single page. Referral source was also associated with device used (p<0.001). Age was not related to user behaviours (p>0.05).DiscussionFOAM is a rapidly developing form of medical education, with large user numbers seen for a site just 2 years old. The site is being used by many beyond its intended readership. Rather than accessing multiple pages from a desktop, users have varied online behaviours, with the majority viewing a single page on a mobile phone, referred by social media or Google.ConclusionsGoogle Analytics can powerfully display usage of medical websites but has important limitations if statistical exploration is required. FOAM users are a heterogenous group, and thus content should be designed with this in mind. Further research must be prioritised focussing on the scope, curriculum coverage, accuracy of information and the effectiveness of FOAM as an educational resource.

Open educational resources on how to conduct randomised clinical trials: a protocol for a landscape analysis

“…The published literature on so called 'microlearning' is growing, 12,13 and even more so is the literature on open educaBonal resources (OER) and free open access medical educaBon (FOAM) across medical specialBes. [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] Even the concept of peer reviewed medical educaBon videos has emerged. 41 However, based on basic preliminary searches (Appendix 2) we expect some, but not many, relevant online resources on how to plan, launch, execute, analyse, and report randomised clinical trials.…”

“…At our current stage, we are not aware of relevant references. One soluBon would be to train the algorithm on overview arBcles pertaining to OER in specific medical fields [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] or to train it on arBcles describing specific OERs, such as online residency training programs. [36][37][38] As a last resort, we can train it on those arBcles and screen all retrieved arBcles.…”

“…[16][17][18][19] Within some medical specialBes, parBcularly anaesthesiology and criBcal care medicine, extensive online communiBes with freely available educaBonal material exist, known as free open access medical educaBon (FOAM). [20][21][22] Overviews and surveys of OER in various specialBes, including pediatric intensive care, 23 nephrology, 24 radiaBon oncology, 25 anaesthesiology, 26 pediatrics, 27 criBcal care, 28,29 otolaryngology, 30 and medical physics 31 report many available resources, including videos, podcasts, and tutorials. We will use this landscape analysis as a primer to build a comprehensive blended learning curriculum on randomised clinical trial conduct targeBng clinicians, invesBgators, trialists, researchers, and anyone interested in the topic on how to make fair tests of treatments.…”

Medical students’ pattern of self-directed learning prior to and during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic period and its implications for Free Open Access Meducation within the United Kingdom

“…The term traditionally refers to both the online availability of medical information and the community contributing to and engaging with such data [5]. FOAM use in postgraduate populations has increased exponentially over the last decade [6][7][8]. However, while numerous studies have explored undergraduate use of individual FOAM resources, the extent to which medical students are aware of the FOAM movement and the proportion of independent study time they spend engaging with FOAM have yet to be thoroughly investigated.…”