Dear Editor
As a result of the social confinement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of digital resources, both free and paid, have been proposed to facilitate medical teaching remotely. The incorporation of ICTs in the field of education has meant the flexibility of educational institutions, while it has favored the development of the teaching–learning process. Among the digital resources that offer the best potential in the educational context are podcasts, which are syndicated sound files whose purpose is to be able to transmit specific information content. The podcast is not a single file, it is a continuous update of files. It is important not to confuse a podcast with an episode; the difference between the two is that the podcast is a program, made up of successive editions, which can be syndicated so as not to have to download those that have already been heard, while an episode is the name of each of the podcast editions. The growing use of podcasts in the field of higher education has been favored by three circumstances: the important implementation of the Internet; easy access to software for digital creation and editing of audio and video files; the growing implementation of mobile devices suitable for the consumption of sound files. Medical journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet are using podcasts to discuss medical topics, so podcasts can complement traditional forms of learning, providing opportunities for continuous educational improvement from resource-limited settings.1–3 Medical educators should consider developing and implementing them as a teaching strategy (profcast), since this material can reach a wider audience and cover a wide range of topics of interest to future doctors, however, it is important to take care of basic aspects (planning, size, theme, and sequence) that guarantee the success of this activity.
FinancingThis work has not received any type of funding.
Conflicts of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest.
