The Rheumatology Podcast Informs, Entertains

He says he found the discussions of apremilast and tofacitinib helpful, and they increased his comfort level with the drugs.

He suspects, though, that podcast listenership among doctors is quite low, because when he endorses the podcast to his colleagues, “not a single one has had the faintest idea what I’m talking about.”

Even though the learning curve is small—installing a podcast app on a smartphone then subscribing to podcasts—there is nonetheless a learning curve, he says.

“I think more people will get interested in podcasting as conventional media outlets educate their readers and listeners about them,” Dr. Wright says. Listeners would get both entertainment and valuable discussion, he says.

“Medicine is as much art as science, meaning there are many situations where there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer,” he says. “I think it’s beneficial to hear colleagues’ opinions and experience on tricky problems, and many rheumatologists may not have access to grand rounds, academic conferences or other settings where these discussions might otherwise take place.”

Thomas R. Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.

Updated 10/15/2014.