MacEmerg Podcast

The Problem:
There are many clinical, research, and medical education leaders in a region but it is often difficult to share their expertise amongst others. 

The Gap:
Information dissemination and scholarly collaboration between different academic sites across a wide geographic area remains a challenge especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditional methods such as grand rounds and meetings reduce the potential for broader mix of knowledge sharing amongst not only the academic sites but the regional ones. How do we share information quickly and easily amongst medical practitioners and educators? 

The Innovation:
McMaster University Tri-Divisions of Emergency Medicine (MacEmerg) Continuing Professional Development Task Force, has created a podcast to bridge the knowledge dissemination gap within all of the regional campuses affiliated with the university. For the past two and a half years, our group has managed to create 25 podcast episodes, which include clinical, research, and medical education topics, that are easily accessible and widely listened to amongst our regional group. In our most recently published paper, our episodes averaged 227.7 ± 67.2 listens with an overall 44.1% of those originating from within our defined region.

Why Others Should Try This:
Using podcasts to distribute knowledge amongst a geographically wide group of individuals is an innovative strategy that can be effective. Similar methods for information dissemination can be an added tactic adopted by other departments and programs especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.