Understanding the Use and Perceived Impact of a Medical Podcast: Qualitative Study

TLDR

Podcasts are increasingly produced for medical education, yet their use and perceived impact in informal settings remain understudied. The study sought to explore why physicians and medical learners listen to The Rounds Table podcast and to assess its perceived impact on learning and clinical practice. The authors collected usage statistics via web‑based analytics and conducted semi‑structured interviews with 17 listeners, analyzing the data thematically until theoretical sufficiency was reached. Listeners reported that TRT increased efficiency and multitasking, served as both education and entertainment, helped them stay current with medical literature, and indirectly enhanced learning and clinical practice by expanding overall knowledge.

Abstract

Background Although podcasts are increasingly being produced for medical education, their use and perceived impact in informal educational settings are understudied. Objective This study aimed to explore how and why physicians and medical learners listen to The Rounds Table (TRT), a medical podcast, as well as to determine the podcast’s perceived impact on learning and practice. Methods Web-based podcast analytics were used to collect TRT usage statistics. A total of 17 medical TRT listeners were then identified and interviewed through purposive and convenience sampling, using a semistructured guide and a thematic analysis, until theoretical sufficiency was achieved. Results The following four themes related to podcast listenership were identified: (1) participants thought that TRT increased efficiency, allowing them to multitask, predominantly using mobile listening platforms; (2) participants listened to the podcast for both education and entertainment, or “edutainment”; (3) participants thought that the podcast helped them keep up to date with medical literature; and (4) participants considered TRT to have an indirect effect on learning and clinical practice by increasing overall knowledge. Conclusions Our results highlight how a medical podcast, designed for continuing professional development, is often used informally to promote learning. These findings enhance our understanding of how and why listeners engage with a medical podcast, which may be used to inform the development and evaluation of other podcasts.