Educational impact of a podcast curriculum for hematology/oncology fellows: Final results of the multicenter cluster randomized PODCAST-HOF trial
Recommended Citation
Patel VG, Tawagi K, Armstrong SA, Hausrath DJ, Abuali IA, Biswas AN, Valasapalli S, Pachika PS, Forster MK, Stoen E, Lee Y, Berardi GG, Berry JL, Nassar AM, Egert D, Miranda KW, Mendelson LS, Mian A, Kidwell KM, Fitzpatrick MC, Abdallah M, Melody M, Stempel JM, Chung V, Taasan SM, Cockrell DC, Taza F, Wilson NR, Itani AS, Danak SU, Bloom MD, Mistry RH. Educational Impact of a Podcast Curriculum for Hematology/Oncology Fellows: Final Results of the Multicenter Cluster Randomized PODCAST-HOF Trial. JCO Oncol Pract. 2025 Oct;21(10):1531-1539. doi: 10.1200/OP-25-00324. Epub 2025 May 31. PMID: 40448571.
Abstract
Purpose: Medical podcast integration into hematology/oncology fellowship curricula remains largely unstudied. We conducted a multicenter cluster randomized trial to evaluate the educational impact of a podcast-based curriculum (PC) when delivered alongside standard didactics compared with standard didactics alone.
Methods: Twenty-seven US Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited hematology/oncology fellowship programs were randomized to receive either PC plus standard didactics (podcast arm, n = 14) or standard didactics alone (control arm, n = 13). The PC included curated podcast episodes and detailed show notes on breast cancer (BC), multiple myeloma (MM), bleeding disorders (BDs), and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), developed by The Fellow on Call and Two Onc Docs . Fellows completed preintervention and postintervention comfort surveys (Likert scale 1-7) and a 16-item knowledge assessment. Coprimary end points were improvement in mean comfort (≥0.5 points) and knowledge (≥10%). Mixed-effects ANCOVA was used to adjust for baseline scores and program clustering.
Results: Of 420 eligible fellows, 221 (52%) completed baseline surveys and 186 (44%) completed the knowledge assessment. Ninety-nine fellows (53 podcast, 46 control) completed both postintervention assessments. Baseline comfort was similar across groups. The podcast arm demonstrated significantly greater adjusted mean improvements in comfort: BC (0.48; P < .01), MM (0.65; P < .01), BD (0.70; P < .01), and HIT (0.40; P < .01). Knowledge scores improved from 39.7% to 62.0% in the podcast arm versus 43.5% to 50.3% in the control arm (adjusted mean difference, 15.5%; P < .01). Most fellows in the podcast arm (83%) rated show notes as highly useful, and 89% planned continued podcast use.
Conclusion: The PODCAST-HOF trial showed that adding curated podcasts and show notes significantly improved fellow comfort and knowledge. These findings support incorporating The Fellow on Call and Two Onc Docs as a recommended supplement to traditional fellowship didactics.
Type
Article
PubMed ID
40448571
Affiliations
Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center