Researchers discover the facility of podcasts in combating infectious illness misinformation

With legacy media slicing employees within the face of unprecedented monetary challenges and demanding science and well being data scattered amongst unfamiliar digital platforms, how can individuals sustain with medical points that may have an effect on them?

Researchers within the Division of Infectious Illness and Worldwide Drugs within the College of South Florida Well being Morsani Faculty of Drugs are tapping into one other method to share such knowledge: podcasts. Their new research, Like and Subscribe: A Compendium of Infectious Ailments Audio Podcasts, appeared in Open Discussion board Infectious Ailments, a significant open-access journal of the Infectious Ailments Society of America.

The 2 lead authors are Richard Oehler, MD, professor of Drugs within the Division of Infectious Ailments and Worldwide Drugs, Morsani Faculty of Drugs; and Ju Hee Katzman, MD, FACP, assistant professor and program director for the division’s Infectious Illness Fellowship Program.

Their paper is the primary ever peer-reviewed information to audio podcasts devoted to the subject of infectious illnesses. Primarily, the research strikes a blow towards medical misinformation by offering an skilled information to credible podcast sources – an particularly worthwhile software in infectious illness, the place a number of conflicting and unreliable data circulates about COVID-19, vaccines and different subjects.

The one method that we within the medical neighborhood can fight misinformation is to place extra credible voices into social media, which incorporates podcasting. By now having a scientific article that identifies essentially the most credible podcast choices in infectious illnesses, we all know that podcast listeners will profit from our research.”

Richard Oehler, MD,Professor of Drugs, Division of Infectious Ailments and Worldwide Drugs, Morsani Faculty of Drugs

Whereas medical podcasts must be held to excessive skilled requirements − particularly in relation to questionable or deceptive knowledge − their effectiveness in reaching thousands and thousands of listeners makes them a strong software, the authors mentioned.

“Podcasts allow the sharing of medical data in a conversational format that may be loved on the comfort of the listener, whether or not whereas driving in a automobile, strolling or operating,” Oehler mentioned. “Podcasts may also be listened to in shorter segments after which picked up and completed each time it is handy.”

Studying scientific journals or newspapers requires devoted time and a focus, the authors be aware, which is much less handy for a lot of medical professionals or college students. Publications additionally require subscriptions or have paywalls; most podcasts are freely distributed and may be listened to on a sensible cellphone, pill or pc.

“Podcasts can attain learners anytime and anyplace,” Katzman mentioned, including that this type of asynchronous studying “is vital given the growing quantity of data that must be shared in a well timed and environment friendly method.”

Findings in scientific journals may be summarized, defined and mentioned in a extra digestible type on a podcast. Though podcasts aren’t meant to interchange conventional varieties, corresponding to scientific journals, “they’re introduced extra understandably,” Katzman added.

In lower than 15 years, the podcast format has gone from being nearly unknown to a multibillion-dollar business with an estimated 500 million listeners worldwide, in response to the research. Medical podcasts started with a need amongst journals and educational establishments to share data on new medical trials or publications, and amongst these dedicated to selling a free and open entry mannequin of on-line schooling.

The COVID-19 outbreak led to an explosion within the availability of podcasts about infectious illnesses, as a result of want for normal details about SARS-CoV-2 and the pandemic-driven choice for digital studying. Nevertheless, many infectious illness consultants and college students haven’t but been launched to obtainable infectious illnesses podcast sources, the authors mentioned.

However what about deceptive knowledge and data? Aren’t podcasts prone to the issues or moral fluxes of another medium? Podcasts aren’t peer-reviewed, although many present references on their pages or web sites, in addition to podcast writer credentials and their affiliations.

“Podcasts aren’t any totally different from different broadcast media,” Dr. Oehler mentioned. “The person can overview a collection’ descriptive data, listener scores and search peer-reviewed sources to assist them decide whether or not a podcast is probably going to supply credible data freed from questionable knowledge.

“The truth is, it was our function in placing collectively this text to overview a wide range of totally different podcasts to have the ability to suggest the applications we talked about. We additionally made positive to publish the paper in an open-access medical journal, making it accessible for anybody to freely obtain.”

Of their research, the authors spotlight 38 of the most well-liked infectious illness–oriented audio podcasts, together with:

• The extensively distributed “This Podcast Will Kill You,” that includes episodes about lethal infectious illnesses.
• “Osterholm Replace,” a daily podcast by famous epidemiologist and public well being skilled Dr. Michael Osterholm, which updates listeners on present illness outbreaks throughout the nation.

The record additionally features a new USF Well being collection known as Contagion: An Infectious Ailments Podcast, co-hosted by USF Well being Infectious Illness college and clinicians Vivian Vega Rodriguez, MD, and Jacqueline Sherbuk, MD. Within the collection’ first 5 episodes, this system has tackled numerous subjects corresponding to mosquito-borne infections, brain-eating amoeba illness, Influenza, RSV, COVID19 and food-borne outbreaks.

The research notes a number of benefits – and drawbacks – of the podcast format:

• Impression of COVID-19: The pandemic spurred a surge in infectious illness (ID)-focused podcasts, with 71% of reviewed reveals launching post-COVID, highlighting the rising demand for accessible, well timed medical data.
• Viewers attain and variety: Amongst 38 ID-focused podcasts analyzed, viewers sizes ranged extensively. Widespread reveals like This Podcast Will Kill You drew practically half 1,000,000 listeners per episode, whereas others had fewer than 25.
• Broad subject protection: The podcasts tackle a wide range of topics, from present outbreaks and immunology to public well being and an infection management, catering to a spread of medical and public pursuits.
• Academic worth: Podcasts present an environment friendly method for the medical neighborhood to remain present, as medical information doubles each 73 days. They’re simply accessible, cost-effective and adaptable to listeners’ schedules.
• Challenges in podcast studying: Regardless of advantages, points stay with content material retention when multitasking, variable episode lengths and high quality requirements for accuracy and supply verification.
• Future alternatives: The research suggests progress in podcasts combating misinformation and selling careers within the infectious illnesses area, including depth to the academic sources obtainable to medical professionals and college students.