Educational Podcasts: Effect of Content Delivery Timing on Knowledge Acquisition and Retention

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 primacy and recency 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.