Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Free Open Access Medical Education
Collection of online resources for medicine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAM or FOAMed) is a dynamic collection of online resources and tools designed to promote lifelong learning in emergency medicine. The term was coined in June 2012 at the International Conference on Emergency Medicine in Dublin.[1]
Description
The FOAM movement arose in response to the broader Open Educational Resources (OER) movement, reflecting the growing demand for freely available, high-quality educational materials.[2] It gained momentum with the rapid growth of social media and digital platforms, which revolutionised how medical information is accessed and shared.[3]
FOAM is defined by its accessibility via online text- and media-sharing platforms[1] and incorporates formats such as blogs, podcasts, and social media posts. More formal learning resources such as online question banks, YouTube videos, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), are also components of FOAM.[2]
Remove ads
Impact
FOAM is highly popular among medical students and clinicians. For example, a 2014 survey of emergency medicine residents in the state of Utah found the online audio series EM:RAP was used by some 80% of residents.[4] The accessibility of FOAM materials is considered foundational to the wide dissemination of current medical knowledge, particularly in underserved regions.[5] However, concerns have been raised about the lack of formal peer review and quality control over many FOAM materials.[6] Resource creation is often geographically concentrated, potentially excluding perspectives from lower-resource regions.[5]
Remove ads
Notable FOAM resources
See also
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads