Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Dermatology podcasting: An untapped resource for continuing education

2013; Elsevier BV; Volume: 68; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jaad.2012.10.032

1097-6787

Jill Henley, Mahsa Amir, Blake P. Sampson, Jennifer Tamai, Robert P. Dellavalle,

Advertising and Communication Studies

To the Editor: Keeping up with the fast-paced environment of medicine and the latest medical research can prove challenging for dermatologists. Because of this, educational resources are becoming more accessible to increase the ease of continuing medical education. Daily e-mails conveying the latest research updates, educational webinars, and podcasts are all helping to make continuing medical education more efficient.1Arican O. E-dermatology: emails about dermatological diseases on the Internet.J Dermatol. 2007; 34: 375-380Crossref PubMed Scopus (6) Google ScholarPodcasts are audio or video broadcasts released on the Internet and distributed through a real-time syndication system. Podcasts are audible on multiple subsets of media: the Internet, iTunes, or on various hand-held devices. We sought to determine the number of podcasts available from dermatology journals and nondermatologic journal organizations.On Aug 10, 2012, Google, iTunes, and individual websites of each of 102 dermatology journals in the SCImago database (www.scimagojr.com) were examined for availability of podcasts. A list of terms including "dermatology journal podcasts," "podcasting and dermatology journals," "dermatology," and "dermatology podcast" were also searched on Google and iTunes for presence of podcasts made available by dermatology and nondermatology journals.The number of podcasts associated with dermatology journals are summarized in Table I. There are only 6 journals that have podcasts; with a majority of them being journal article reviews and author reviews. Table II shows the 9 nondermatology journal organizations with dermatology-related podcasts. Of these, more than 95% were educational, and less than 1% were article or author reviews. Both tables are listed in descending order, along with the date ranges of podcast development, the number of podcasts, and brief descriptions.Table IDermatology journals with podcastsTitle of podcastsNo. of podcastsDates of podcastsDescription1. Dermatologic Clinics272009-2012Journal article reviews and author interviews2. Practical Dermatology192010-2012Journal article reviews3. Skin and Allergy News, "The Skinny"152010-2012Journal article reviews and author interviews4. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, "SkinPod"122011-2012Journal article reviews (n = 10) and author interviews (n = 2)5. Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association3∗Podcasts linked from Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association and Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology websites, not found on iTunes.2012Journal article reviews6. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology3∗Podcasts linked from Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association and Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology websites, not found on iTunes.2011Journal article reviews and author interviews∗ Podcasts linked from Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association and Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology websites, not found on iTunes. Open table in a new tab Table IINon-dermatology journal podcastsTitle of podcastsNo. of podcastsDates of podcastsDescription1. Dermcast.tv Dermatology podcasts502008-2012Dermatology education (44), video interviews (6)2. Medscape Dermatology502009-2012Dermatology education3. Dermatology Board Review372010Dermatology education4. Dermatology Board Review, "3-Minute Dermatology"202011Dermatology education5. eMedical Dermatology Review102010-2012Dermatology education6. MUSC Dermatology podcasts92007-2011Dermatology education7. MedscapeCME Dermatology Podcast82011Dermatology education8. NursingCenter, "Skin Care Network"72009-2010Dermatology education9. CDC32011Journal article reviews and author interviewsCDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CME, continuing medical education; MUSC, Medical University of South Carolina. Open table in a new tab Our results illustrate the limited utilization of podcasts by dermatology journals. A recent survey found that, among the various resources available, dermatology podcasts and audio files were among the highest quality resources.2Hanson A.H. Krause L.K. Simmons R.N. Ellis J.I. Gamble R.G. Jensen J.D. et al.Dermatology education and the Internet: traditional and cutting-edge resources.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011; 65 (Epub 2011 Aug 4): 836-842Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (20) Google Scholar Therefore dermatology journals might benefit from creating more educational podcasts for their subscribers. Conversely, podcasting presents an opportunity to broaden the distribution of existing audio, video, and digital pictures in a convenient and efficient manner. This tool is not limited to educational purposes, but can also be used to relay safety tips, to discuss preventative medicine, and to release public service announcements and newsletters.3Thielst C.B. Using social media to engage patients: many tools exist to connect, communicate and build loyalty.Healthc Exec. 2011 May-Jun; 26: 68-70Google ScholarIn a recent publication, Alikhan, Kaur, and Feldman4Alikhan A. Kaur R.R. Feldman S.R. Podcasting in dermatology education.J Dermatolog Treat. 2010; 21: 73-79Crossref PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar reviewed 5 current dermatology podcast subscriptions and found that although insightful, clinically relevant, and evidence based, the relative infrequency of the podcasts made them an unreliable mode of education. This is further confirmed in our results by the infrequent and sporadic production of the 27 podcasts released by Dermatologic Clinics associated with only 2 of 12 issues over a 3-year span. In contrast, various medical journals, such as The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, provide regular audio podcasts to their subscribers and demonstrate that podcasting can be a highly utilized educational resource.We conclude that it is important that dermatologic journals capitalize on this resource to provide consistent and up-to-date information to their readers and become a reliable source of information. In addition, with more reliable production of podcasts, dermatology podcasts may appeal to a greater number of listeners. To the Editor: Keeping up with the fast-paced environment of medicine and the latest medical research can prove challenging for dermatologists. Because of this, educational resources are becoming more accessible to increase the ease of continuing medical education. Daily e-mails conveying the latest research updates, educational webinars, and podcasts are all helping to make continuing medical education more efficient.1Arican O. E-dermatology: emails about dermatological diseases on the Internet.J Dermatol. 2007; 34: 375-380Crossref PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar Podcasts are audio or video broadcasts released on the Internet and distributed through a real-time syndication system. Podcasts are audible on multiple subsets of media: the Internet, iTunes, or on various hand-held devices. We sought to determine the number of podcasts available from dermatology journals and nondermatologic journal organizations. On Aug 10, 2012, Google, iTunes, and individual websites of each of 102 dermatology journals in the SCImago database (www.scimagojr.com) were examined for availability of podcasts. A list of terms including "dermatology journal podcasts," "podcasting and dermatology journals," "dermatology," and "dermatology podcast" were also searched on Google and iTunes for presence of podcasts made available by dermatology and nondermatology journals. The number of podcasts associated with dermatology journals are summarized in Table I. There are only 6 journals that have podcasts; with a majority of them being journal article reviews and author reviews. Table II shows the 9 nondermatology journal organizations with dermatology-related podcasts. Of these, more than 95% were educational, and less than 1% were article or author reviews. Both tables are listed in descending order, along with the date ranges of podcast development, the number of podcasts, and brief descriptions. CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CME, continuing medical education; MUSC, Medical University of South Carolina. Our results illustrate the limited utilization of podcasts by dermatology journals. A recent survey found that, among the various resources available, dermatology podcasts and audio files were among the highest quality resources.2Hanson A.H. Krause L.K. Simmons R.N. Ellis J.I. Gamble R.G. Jensen J.D. et al.Dermatology education and the Internet: traditional and cutting-edge resources.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011; 65 (Epub 2011 Aug 4): 836-842Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (20) Google Scholar Therefore dermatology journals might benefit from creating more educational podcasts for their subscribers. Conversely, podcasting presents an opportunity to broaden the distribution of existing audio, video, and digital pictures in a convenient and efficient manner. This tool is not limited to educational purposes, but can also be used to relay safety tips, to discuss preventative medicine, and to release public service announcements and newsletters.3Thielst C.B. Using social media to engage patients: many tools exist to connect, communicate and build loyalty.Healthc Exec. 2011 May-Jun; 26: 68-70Google Scholar In a recent publication, Alikhan, Kaur, and Feldman4Alikhan A. Kaur R.R. Feldman S.R. Podcasting in dermatology education.J Dermatolog Treat. 2010; 21: 73-79Crossref PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar reviewed 5 current dermatology podcast subscriptions and found that although insightful, clinically relevant, and evidence based, the relative infrequency of the podcasts made them an unreliable mode of education. This is further confirmed in our results by the infrequent and sporadic production of the 27 podcasts released by Dermatologic Clinics associated with only 2 of 12 issues over a 3-year span. In contrast, various medical journals, such as The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, provide regular audio podcasts to their subscribers and demonstrate that podcasting can be a highly utilized educational resource. We conclude that it is important that dermatologic journals capitalize on this resource to provide consistent and up-to-date information to their readers and become a reliable source of information. In addition, with more reliable production of podcasts, dermatology podcasts may appeal to a greater number of listeners.