MacEmerg Podcast: A Novel Initiative to Connect a Distributed Community of Practice

Regional knowledge dissemination and information sharing is a challenge among physically divided groups of physicians. Many staff and resident physicians do not have easy access to share clinical and medical education and research information with each other in an academic setting. Our divisions of emergency medicine could benefit from a novel approach aimed at improving overall connection and collaborative engagement.

By harnessing the sociomateriality properties of podcasting, we could achieve the dual goals of better connecting our faculty as well as educating the audience on aspects of clinical practice and education that are especially relevant to our region. We sought to primarily draw on local expertise for content. We developed a standardized structure for our monthly releases, with each episode composed of a main faculty segment, a resident-focused segment, and a medical education segment. Accessibility to the podcast was maximized through its publication across multiple platforms and detailed individual show notes were made available.

We applied logic model methodology with the intended goal of having much of our content consumed by local faculty and trainees. Using Web-based analytic data, we were able to ascertain the proportion and number of listens that occurred from within our local university-affiliated and/or catchment region. Episodes averaged 227.7 ± 67.2 listens with an overall 44.1% of those originating from within our defined region.

Given the number of regional listeners we are consistently reaching, we have been effective in serving to connect a widely distributed group of academic physicians. As we continue to grow the podcast, we plan on collecting quantitative data to better ascertain its effect on our stated goals.