Provider and Caregiver Opinions, Preferences, and Knowledge of Medical Podcasting (Preprint)

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.