An Observational Study of Current Acute and Chronic Pain Podcasts

Ryian Owusu MS-3, Ghislaine Echevarria M.D., Alopi Patel M.D.

INTRODUCTION

The use of podcasts has grown exponentially since its inception in the early 2000s.1 Healthcare professionals have found this e-resource to be advantageous, in the distribution of medical expertise, due to the concise, flexible and widely accessible format.1-3 There are no definitive numbers as to how many physicians listen to podcasts however according to a study by Kantar in 2019, 36% of healthcare professionals listen to podcasts.1 Limited literature discusses the extent and success of podcasts related to pain medicine. Therefore, determining what podcasts are available, moderator demographics, and indicators for podcast popularity becomes vital. The objective of this study was to evaluate podcasts pertinent to pain medicine and determine identifiable characteristics.

Key takeaways:

Anesthesiologists are underrepresented as podcast hosts. We need to be more active in podcasting as a way to advocate for our field and disseminate accurate information.

Most chronic pain podcasts are non-anesthesiologist led (i.e. physical therapists, chiropractors, etc).

Female anesthesiologists are in the minority as podcast hosts in topics in anesthesiology and pain medicine.

RESULTS

In this observational study, we found that there were 38 pertinent podcasts, which after removing repeats, 31 were distinguishable podcasts within the acute and chronic pain specialities. The majority of the podcasts were found to be individual led rather than organization-led (i.e. ASRA). Of the 31 distinct podcasts, 2 were women-led and 5 were co-hosted by both women and men. The search term “Pain Physician” had the highest median number of episodes at 70 episodes.

DISCUSSION

The majority of the podcasts were led by male physicians. Male physicians and organizations were more likely to create podcasts than female physicians. This trend may be due to more male anesthesiologists vs female anesthesiologists. Not all acute and chronic pain podcasts were able to be distinguished as addressing just one subspecialty. Podcasts allow for more rapid spread of knowledge and collaboration than other forms of education can offer.

RESOURCES

1. Why today’s healthcare workers love podcasts. Wolters Kluwer. Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands: Wolters Kluwer; 2020. https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/why-todays-healthcare-workers-love-podcasts. Accessed July 9, 2023.

2. Singh D, Alam F, Matava C. A Critical Analysis of Anesthesiology Podcasts: Identifying Determinants of Success. JMIR Med Educ. 2016;2(2):e14. Published 2016 Aug 17. doi:10.2196/mededu.5950

3. Jham BC, Duraes GV, Strassler HE, Sensi LG. Joining the podcast revolution. J Dent Educ. 2008;72(3):278-281.

4. Listen Notes: The Best Podcast Engine. Listen Notes. https://www.listennotes.com/. Updated October, 2023. Accessed July 9, 2023.