{"title":"Exploring the impact, challenges, and integration of podcasts in patient education: a systematic review.","authors":"Saeed Khayat Kakhki, Nahid Aghebati, Hossein Karimi Moonaghi","doi":"10.1186/s12909-025-07217-4","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Podcasts have become increasingly prominent as tools for health communication, offering flexible and accessible formats for patient education. While widely used in professional training, their role in supporting patient-centered learning remains underexplored.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This systematic review synthesized studies published from 2010 to 2024 concerning podcast use in patient education. Five databases-PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Embase-were searched using defined keywords. Studies were selected based on relevance to patient education through podcasts, and outcomes such as knowledge retention, comprehension, and engagement. Data extraction was performed independently by two reviewers. Quality assessment was conducted using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and the CASP checklist. A thematic synthesis approach was employed to analyze qualitative and quantitative findings.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the twenty-one included studies, seven demonstrated improved patient knowledge retention, comprehension, and engagement through podcast use. Five studies emphasized accessibility and learner autonomy, highlighting the benefits of asynchronous and flexible delivery. Three studies explored the integration of podcasts with traditional teaching methods, showing positive outcomes when used as complementary tools. However, three studies identified challenges including content quality variability, limited production standards, and digital access disparities. Thematic synthesis categorized findings into four domains: educational effectiveness, integration with traditional education, accessibility and learner autonomy, and implementation challenges.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Podcasts represent a promising adjunct to patient education. Their effectiveness depends on thoughtful design, contextual relevance, and equitable delivery. Standardization, blended learning models, and ongoing evaluation are essential for maximizing their impact.</p><p><strong>Clinical trial number: </strong>Not applicable.</p>","PeriodicalId":51234,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Education","volume":"25 1","pages":"690"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12067963/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BMC Medical Education","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07217-4","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Podcasts have become increasingly prominent as tools for health communication, offering flexible and accessible formats for patient education. While widely used in professional training, their role in supporting patient-centered learning remains underexplored.
Methods: This systematic review synthesized studies published from 2010 to 2024 concerning podcast use in patient education. Five databases-PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Embase-were searched using defined keywords. Studies were selected based on relevance to patient education through podcasts, and outcomes such as knowledge retention, comprehension, and engagement. Data extraction was performed independently by two reviewers. Quality assessment was conducted using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and the CASP checklist. A thematic synthesis approach was employed to analyze qualitative and quantitative findings.
Results: Of the twenty-one included studies, seven demonstrated improved patient knowledge retention, comprehension, and engagement through podcast use. Five studies emphasized accessibility and learner autonomy, highlighting the benefits of asynchronous and flexible delivery. Three studies explored the integration of podcasts with traditional teaching methods, showing positive outcomes when used as complementary tools. However, three studies identified challenges including content quality variability, limited production standards, and digital access disparities. Thematic synthesis categorized findings into four domains: educational effectiveness, integration with traditional education, accessibility and learner autonomy, and implementation challenges.
Conclusions: Podcasts represent a promising adjunct to patient education. Their effectiveness depends on thoughtful design, contextual relevance, and equitable delivery. Standardization, blended learning models, and ongoing evaluation are essential for maximizing their impact.
背景：播客作为健康交流的工具越来越突出，为患者教育提供了灵活和可访问的格式。虽然在专业培训中广泛使用，但它们在支持以患者为中心的学习方面的作用仍未得到充分探索。方法：本系统综述综合了2010年至2024年发表的关于播客在患者教育中的应用的研究。五个数据库- pubmed， Scopus, Web of Science， b谷歌Scholar和embase -使用定义的关键字进行搜索。研究的选择是基于通过播客对患者进行教育的相关性，以及知识保留、理解和参与等结果。数据提取由两名审稿人独立完成。使用Cochrane偏倚风险工具、Newcastle-Ottawa量表和CASP检查表进行质量评估。采用专题综合方法分析定性和定量结果。结果：在21项纳入的研究中，7项表明通过播客的使用提高了患者的知识保留、理解和参与。五项研究强调了可访问性和学习者自主性，强调了异步和灵活交付的好处。三项研究探索了播客与传统教学方法的整合，作为补充工具使用时显示出积极的效果。然而，三项研究发现了包括内容质量可变性、有限的生产标准和数字访问差异在内的挑战。专题综合将研究结果分为四个领域：教育有效性、与传统教育的整合、可及性和学习者自主以及实施挑战。结论：播客是一种很有前途的患者教育辅助手段。它们的有效性取决于深思熟虑的设计、上下文相关性和公平的交付。标准化、混合学习模型和持续评估对于最大化其影响至关重要。临床试验号：不适用。
期刊介绍：
BMC Medical Education is an open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in relation to the training of healthcare professionals, including undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing education. The journal has a special focus on curriculum development, evaluations of performance, assessment of training needs and evidence-based medicine.
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