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

BACKGROUND: Podcasts are rapidly gaining popularity within medical education, but their acceptability and effectiveness within primary care education remains understudied.

AIM: To evaluate the attitudes of General Practitioner Specialty Trainees (GPSTs) and GP Trainers towards audio podcasts for primary care medical education.

DESIGN & SETTING: A cross-sectional questionnaire distributed to all GPSTs and GP Trainers in Scotland.

METHOD: The survey evaluated podcast usage patterns, their perceived effectiveness, and perspectives on the benefits and challenges of podcast-based education. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative data underwent thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Of 1995 invited participants, 219 individuals (11.0%) responded. Medical education podcasts were used by 69.9% of respondents, with higher usage among GPSTs (73.5%) than GP Trainers (65.7%). Most respondents (89%) perceived podcasts as an effective medium for primary care education. The majority of respondents noted improvements in professional knowledge (92.8%), confidence in delivering patient care (73.5%), and clinical care provision (81.6%), as a result of podcast usage. Key benefits of podcasts included flexibility and accessibility, while the main challenge was personal time constraints. Respondents highlighted quality assurance and awareness as key areas for improving the experience of podcast-based education.

CONCLUSION: 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.