Podcasting in primary care: attitudes of Scottish GP specialty trainees and trainers towards podcast-based education in primary care

Summary

Notwithstanding the relatively low response rate (11.0%), we found that more than two-thirds (69.9%) of GPSTs and GP trainers who responded to our survey reported listening to medical educational podcasts, suggesting they are generally an acceptable medium for delivering primary care education.

Furthermore, podcasts are widely perceived as an effective way of delivering medical education, with 89.0% of GPSTs and GP trainers sharing this belief. GPSTs and GP trainers believed that podcasts had improved their professional knowledge, increased their confidence in delivering patient care, and enhanced the clinical care they provide.

The thematic analysis highlights the flexibility and accessibility of podcasts as one of their key benefits. Despite this, a number of challenges exist, including concerns regarding podcast credibility, personal time constraints, and poor knowledge of resource availability.

Strengths and limitations

This is the first study (to the best of our knowledge), globally or in Scotland, to assess the acceptability and perceived effectiveness of podcasts in primary care education. The analysis of this study was performed on a small number of responders (n = 219), that represented 11.0% of all GPSTs and GP trainers in Scotland. Because of this, care should be taken to not overgeneralise the results of this study. Although the response rate compares with recent, similar studies,^13,16 it may have been influenced by pressures on primary care at the time of the survey owing to health economic circumstances and the relatively short-time window for which the survey was open. Given the response rate and these pressures, responder bias may have been amplified in these results, including more responders who have a pre-existing interest in medical education podcasts. Future work should consider the utilisation of incentives for participation,¹⁷ and the adoption of a more extensive communication strategy to maximise survey response rate. Thematic analysis of the free-text responses offered valuable insights into the perceptions of GPSTs and GP trainers, but the absence of in-depth methods, such as focus groups or semi-structured interviews, limited the depth of the qualitative data, and should be considered in future studies.

Comparison with existing literature

The high prevalence of podcast use among GPSTs and GP trainers, particularly while multitasking, corroborates findings from other studies into podcast use across other specialties.^5,7,18 Our study extends these findings to the primary care context, further emphasised by responders identifying the flexibility and accessibility of podcasts as a key benefit for time-constrained GPSTs and GP trainers.

The more frequent use of podcasts and greater likelihood of reporting improvements in professional knowledge and clinical care reported by GPSTs compared with GP trainers may be influenced by several factors including differences in the following: (a) life circumstances; (b) existing professional knowledge; (c) the content of podcasts and the audience to which they are aimed; and (d) generational technology adoption. Although our study did not specifically collect data on participant age, it is likely that GPSTs are younger on average, and as suggested by Purdy and colleagues,¹⁵ more likely to be technologically proficient, and to utilise free online educational resources. This aligns with findings from Ryan and colleagues,¹² who observed an age gradient in the preference for e-learning modalities among GPs, with younger GPs showing greater preference compared with their older colleagues. The greater preference shown by GPSTs in our study suggests that the integration of podcasts into primary care education could be particularly beneficial for trainees.

There is growing evidence in the literature supporting the positive influence of podcasts on clinical practice, across various specialties.^19,20 While our study showed high levels of self-reported improvements in clinical care, no published studies have examined the impact of podcasts on patient outcomes in primary care, and remains an important area for future research. The Kirkpatrick model²¹ offers structure for subsequent studies, through four defined levels of evaluation: reaction, learning, behaviour, and results.

Our findings suggest that podcasts are perceived to be an effective teaching method within primary care education. Recent research has shown that podcasts are comparable with traditional teaching methods in terms of knowledge retention. One study (n = 130) demonstrated significantly higher knowledge gains arising after podcasts compared with text-based learning in orthopaedics education,¹¹ while another smaller study (n = 49) showed greater improvement in post-test scores among podcast users compared with lecture attendees in neurology education.²² However, these RCTs are limited by their small sample sizes and short-term knowledge assessment periods, therefore warranting future research.

Time constraints emerged as a significant challenge, with responders citing difficulties in allocating time to podcast listening. A study by Chin and colleagues²³ reported lack of time as the primary reason for medical students not completing educational podcasts. Matava and colleagues²⁴ found that anaesthesia residents favoured short podcasts ranging from 5–15 minutes; however, further research is required to determine the ideal podcast length more accurately, with some free-text responses in our study indicating a preference for shorter podcasts.

Responders reported a lack of perceived knowledge retention from podcast-based learning, particularly when multitasking. This concern aligns with Riddell and colleagues,²⁵ who noted emergency medicine residents perceived podcast learning as passive, potentially leading to reduced retention and clinical application. However, recent studies by Gottlieb and colleagues^26,27 challenge this perception, as they found that knowledge acquisition and retention from podcasts was not significantly impaired by concurrent activities. These contrasting findings suggest a potential disconnect between perceived and actual knowledge retention, warranting further research in this area. To address these concerns, incorporating active learning strategies into podcast design, such as integrated questions, as evaluated by Weinstock and colleagues,²⁸ could enhance engagement and knowledge retention.

Quality assurance emerged as another major concern, with responders expressing uncertainty about the reliability and evidence base of podcast content. This mirrors previous concerns highlighted by emergency medicine trainees.²⁹ Implementing a quality assurance framework, as proposed by Paterson and colleagues,³⁰ could help address these concerns regarding primary care podcasts.

Implications for research and practice

Educational institutions, such as NES and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), could look to allocate resources to the development of high-quality primary care podcasts. These podcasts could be created in the context of national and local guidelines and topics, in order to be more relevant for podcast users. Podcasts could also be promoted through newsletters, websites, and educational conferences to increase their exposure within medical education.

A quality-assurance process could be implemented, to address concerns over podcast content accuracy and reliability, through peer-review processes or guidelines for content creation. In addition to this, educational organisations could curate lists of high-quality, relevant podcasts for GPs.

This research supports the need for future randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluate the impact of medical education podcasts on knowledge retention, clinical care provision, and patient outcomes within primary care. Patient and public involvement should be considered, to ensure clinical relevance of podcasts, and to guide assessment of their clinical impact.

In conclusion, this study suggests that podcasts are accepted and perceived as an effective educational tool within primary care education. Future efforts should focus on developing high-quality, relevant podcasts, and addressing concerns around personal time constraints and quality assurance. Further research, including larger, more representative samples, is needed to assess the impact of podcasts on knowledge retention, clinician behaviour, and clinical outcomes within primary care.