ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study examined whether the order of podcast content influenced knowledge acquisition and retention among emergency medicine (EM) resident physicians. METHOD: This preplanned secondary analysis of 2 large, multicenter trials included a randomized, crossover trial conducted from November 2019 to June 2020 of 100 residents that compared driving and seated condition for two 30-minute podcasts and a randomized, crossover trial conducted from September 2022 to January 2023 of 95 EM residents that compared exercise with seated condition for the same two 30-minute podcasts. Each podcast contained 6 journal article reviews, with the segments recorded in forward or backward order. After completing each podcast, participants completed an initial 20-question test and a 40-question delayed recall test with separate questions. Segments were divided into 3 subgroups based on the order in which they were played (primacy group, recency group, and reference group) for assessment of recency and primacy effects. The mean scaled scores from the primacy and recency groups were compared with scores from the reference group. RESULTS: The study included 195 residents (390 podcasts), with 100 residents listening in the forward order and 95 residents the reverse order. No statistically significant difference was found in immediate recall scores between the primacy and reference groups (d = 0.094; 95% CI, -0.046 to 0.234) or the recency and reference groups (d = -0.041; 95% CI, -0.181 to 0.099) or in 30-day delayed recall score between the primacy and reference groups (d = -0.088; 95% CI, -0.232 to 0.056) or the recency and reference groups (d = -0.083; 95% CI, -0.227 to 0.060). CONCLUSIONS: The order of podcast information did not significantly affect immediate knowledge acquisition or delayed knowledge retention. This finding can inform podcast creators and listeners regarding the order of content when using podcasts for learning.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Podcasts are commonly used by residents as part of their learning, with many listening concomitantly with other activities (e.g., driving and exercise). The effects of exercise on learning are controversial, with some suggesting potential benefit and others suggesting impaired learning. This study examined whether exercise influences knowledge acquisition and retention among resident physicians listening to a podcast while exercising versus those with undistracted listening. METHOD: This multicenter, randomized, crossover trial assessed emergency medicine residents across 5 U.S. institutions from September 2022 to January 2023. Residents were randomized to a group that listened to one 30-minute podcast while seated or a group that listened to a 30-minute podcast while engaging in 30 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise, with stratification by site and postgraduate year. Within 30 minutes of completing the podcast, they completed a 20-question multiple-choice test. They subsequently crossed over to the other intervention and listened to a different 30-minute podcast followed by another 20-question test. Each podcast focused on emergency medicine-relevant journal articles that had not been covered in journal club or curriculum at any sites. Residents also completed a 40-question delayed recall test with separate questions on both podcasts at 30 days. RESULTS: Ninety-six residents were recruited for the study, with 95 (99.0%) completing the initial recall portion and 92 (97.0%) completing the delayed recall tests. No statistically significant differences were found between the exercise and seated cohorts on initial recall (74.4% vs 76.3%; d = -0.12; 95% CI, -0.33 to 0.08; P = .12) or delayed recall (52.3% vs 52.5%; d = -0.01; 95% CI, -0.22 to -0.19; P = .46). CONCLUSIONS: Exercising while listening to podcasts did not appear to meaningfully affect knowledge acquisition or retention at 30 days when compared with listening while seated and undistracted.