Key takeaways:
- A supplemental podcast curriculum improved fellows’ consolation with 4 medical subjects, together with breast most cancers and a number of myeloma.
- The intervention led to better enchancment in data evaluation scores.
CHICAGO — A supplemental podcast curriculum improved hematology-oncology fellows’ consolation with and data of medical subjects, in keeping with research outcomes introduced at ASCO Annual Assembly.
The findings assist incorporating the 2 podcasts assessed within the trial as a really helpful complement to conventional fellowship didactics, researchers concluded.
Information derived from Patel V et al. Summary 9001. Introduced at: ASCO Annual Assembly; Could 30-June 3, 2025; Chicago.
“To our data, that is the most important cluster randomized trial of a practical instructional intervention carried out in graduate medical schooling,” Vivek G. Patel, MD, assistant professor of drugs within the division of hematology oncology at Vanderbilt College Medical Middle, stated throughout a presentation. “[It] provides a sensible framework for future schooling analysis.”
An unexplored space
Podcasts are more and more used as a medical schooling software.
Prior analysis has examined whether or not medical podcasts improve consumer satisfaction and engagement. Nevertheless, proof about their influence on instructional outcomes has been restricted, in keeping with research background. Most earlier research lacked applicable management teams and have been carried out at single establishments, Patel stated.
“The function of podcasts in hematology-oncology fellowship schooling has largely been unexplored,” Patel stated.
Patel and colleagues carried out a multicenter cluster randomized trial to evaluate whether or not use of a structured podcast curriculum together with normal didactics improved hematology-oncology fellows’ consolation and data in contrast with normal schooling alone.
Researchers randomly assigned 27 hematology-oncology fellowship applications (college, n = 23; group, n = 4) throughout the nation to make use of normal didactics alone (n = 13) or with a supplemental podcast curriculum (n = 14) from October 2023 to June 2024. Every web site had a neighborhood coordinating principal investigator who facilitated implementation and information assortment.
The podcast curriculum supplied entry to a web site with hyperlinks to episodes of two podcasts — “The Fellow on Name” and “Two Onc Docs” — about 4 subjects: a number of myeloma, breast most cancers, bleeding issues and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Every episode of “The Fellow on Name” included detailed present notes with bulleted key factors and abstract tables.
All podcast content material might be accessed without cost by means of a number of podcast platforms. Nevertheless, fellows within the intervention group obtained emails to entry the podcasts on a centralized web site organized by illness subject and have been inspired by the native principal investigator to assessment supplies alongside didactic lectures.
Qualitative surveys administered earlier than and after the intervention allowed fellows to fee their consolation managing every subject utilizing a 7-point Likert scale, with 1 comparable to extraordinarily uncomfortable, 4 comparable to impartial and seven comparable to extraordinarily snug.
Data assessments — which consisted of 16 multiple-choice questions — additionally have been administered earlier than and after the intervention. The data evaluation was “very troublesome,” Patel stated, noting respondents needed to accurately choose the reply that outlined essentially the most applicable therapy for a affected person and conveyed the suitable motive why.
“We designed it this manner to enhance the discriminatory skill of the evaluation,” Patel stated.
Imply qualitative survey enchancment of 0.5 factors per subject and a ten% enchancment on data assessments served as twin main endpoints.
‘Possible, scalable and sustainable’
Outcomes have been primarily based on pre-intervention qualitative surveys (n = 221) and data assessments (n = 186). Ninety-nine fellows (podcast curriculum, n = 53; typical didactics, n = 46) accomplished each pre- and post-intervention assessments.
PGY distribution appeared comparable between the podcast and management teams.
At baseline, greater than half of fellows assigned to the podcast curriculum (69%) and management group (52%) listened to medical podcasts.
Imply consolation ranges with all 4 subjects at baseline appeared comparable between teams. After the intervention, imply consolation ranges improved considerably within the podcast group. This endured throughout all domains: breast most cancers (adjusted imply distinction, 0.48 factors; 95% CI, 0.19-0.77), a number of myeloma (adjusted imply distinction, 0.65 factors; 95% CI, 0.32-0.98), bleeding issues (adjusted imply distinction, 0.7 factors; 95% CI, 0.41-0.99) and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (adjusted imply distinction, 0.4 factors; 95% CI, 0.15-0.65).
Composite imply data evaluation within the management group elevated from 43.5% at baseline to 50.3% after the intervention. In distinction, composite imply data evaluation within the podcast group elevated from 39.7% at baseline to 62% after the intervention. This equated to an adjusted imply distinction of 15.5% (P < .01).
Researchers calculated an intracluster correlation coefficient of 0.043, which Patel stated demonstrated particular person collaborating applications didn’t affect the outcomes.
Nearly all of fellows assigned the podcast curriculum reported they’d proceed listening to each podcasts (89%), citing complete content material understanding and board assessment preparation as motivating elements. Additionally, 83% indicated they’d proceed to make use of present notes from “The Fellow on Name” to strengthen vital ideas.
Changes for baseline podcast use didn’t influence outcomes.
Researchers acknowledged research limitations, together with the 24% mixed pre- and post-assessment completion fee; the potential for response bias, as contributors assigned to the podcast curriculum might have been extra inclined to report elevated consolation; the shortcoming to trace podcast engagement, as all episodes have been publicly accessible and weren’t accessed inside a managed platform; and the small imply variations in participant consolation ranges.
Research strengths included the range of fellowship applications, which encompassed a broad vary of geographic areas and establishment varieties, in addition to a peer-led method that would have resulted in increased response charges.
“The entire value to run the trial was minimal — lower than $500 to take care of the web site — suggesting that multicenter schooling trials are possible, scalable and sustainable,” Patel stated.
Perspective
Saiama N. Waqar, MD, MSCI
Malcolm Knowles’ grownup studying principle emphasizes that adults study greatest once they have self-direction, once they have prior expertise and once they really want to know the fabric. Relating to medical schooling, that requires us to make use of instructing strategies that cater to all three of those wants.
There are some challenges to the educational course of that happen alongside the best way. The three most vital are dissonance, which is the distinction between the learner’s understanding and the precise idea; the difficulty of working reminiscence or cognitive “house” — which is influenced by competing obligations, such because the pager ringing, the nurses needing one thing or a private situation — and interference, which may be info overload or decreased capability to include new info.
This trial had a number of strengths. It included each college and group applications, had good geographic illustration and confirmed collaboration amongst applications. It was low value, revolutionary and utilized grownup studying ideas.
When it comes to limitations, a consort diagram was lacking, the podcasts have been freely accessible even to the “typical” didactics group, and the person contributions of every podcast will not be clear. Hematology subjects have been slightly overrepresented. Data test questions have been specific to the fabric within the podcast, however have been they a real reflection of information of the subject total? Additionally, the mixed pre- and post-assessment charges have been low at 24%.
This research efficiently met its outcomes of consolation assessments — with better than 0.5 enchancment for a number of myeloma and bleeding issues, however not heparin-induced thrombocytopenia or breast most cancers. Data evaluation criterion was met.
The podcasts can be found to trainees and may complement fellowship schooling, however their worth actually will depend on the trainee’s research habits, what they really feel is helpful to them and their very own preferences.
Once we take into consideration “discovering the frequency” of fellow-driven studying initiatives, the frequency could also be totally different in numerous establishments, it could be totally different from one trainee to a different, and it could differ primarily based on the subject.
We want to ensure any program we put collectively follows Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Training pointers and American Board of Inner Medication expectations. We have to capitalize on this system’s strengths and cater to particular person learner wants, and learner wants assessments are crucial. These wants can change, and we want to have the ability to adapt. Simply because we tried one thing and it didn’t work doesn’t imply we are able to’t attempt it once more in a special context. And now we have to understand that one method doesn’t match all.
Saiama N. Waqar, MD, MSCI
Washington College in St. Louis
Disclosures: Waqar experiences consulting/advisory roles with or analysis funding to her establishment from AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly & Co., Genentech/Roche, Gilead Sciences, Pfizer and different corporations.
Sources/Disclosures
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Patel V et al. Summary 9001. Introduced at: ASCO Annual Assembly; Could 30-June 3, 2025; Chicago.
Disclosures:
Patel experiences consulting/advisory roles with Acrotech Biopharma and Ipsen, honoraria from Curio Science, and inventory/different possession pursuits and journey, lodging or bills from Doximity. Please see the research for all different authors’ related monetary disclosures.
