Abstract
Purpose::
To determine the role of ophthalmic Podcast educational programs as a vehicle for the international exchange of ideas. To quantify the potential of ophthalmic Podcast technology in terms of the diversity of listenership, therefore identifying key populations as both a target and source of future research endeavors
Methods::
An ophthalmology podcast (RSS-mediated Internet audio program) was developed, consisting of audio interviews with ophthalmologists and ophthalmic researchers.Apache server logs of the ophthalmology podcast "As Seen From Here" www.AsSeenFromHere.com, were analyzed for country of origin of download request. These data were examined for the period April 2005 through September 2006
Results::
During the fourteen month study period, total listenership grew approximately 4300%. Although ophthalmologists from the United States originally accounted for the overwhelming majority of listeners, the proportion of international subscribers has risen dramatically. Within the last 12 months, American listenership has grown 35% whereas international listenership has grown 304%. Ophthalmologists from outside of the United States initially comprised fewer than 15% of listeners, but now represent nearly half of the market. After the United States, the largest audiences came from the United Kingdom (6.4%), China (5.0%), Canada (4.7%), Australia (3.7%) and Japan (2.3%). More than 77,000 audio programs have been downloaded since the inception of As Seen From Here, amounting to approximately 1.9 terabytes of data transfer to ophthalmologists worldwide. The most recent data indicate approximately 1,300 unique computer addresses (IP addresses) download the podcast every month.
Conclusions::
The ophthalmology podcast, "As Seen From Here," is gaining increasing acceptance as a means of dissemination of research and clinical information inside and especially outside the United States. Therfore, Podcasting may serve as an increasingly important means of education and information sharing.