Focused FOAMed – The Learners Lens

Background: This is a guest post from two of our friends all the way in Italy. They have actually sent several revisions of this post as a way to help learners focus on different aspects of FOAMed. One of the major caveats the authors mentioned is that FOAM covers most of the coolest parts of EM, but there are other topics that are important as well. The authors advocate for a compilation of resources into a simple syndication reader (i.e. Feedly) and podcast application (i.e. Downcast, Overcast, etc). When searching for topics consider using FOAM search. Finally, study and focus on FOAM topics that you like and need:

1. Like = your passions, what you’re best at
2. Need = what you’re worst at or scared of

The most important aspect of organizing FOAMed is, the resources compilation, which we can call focused FOAM (F_FOAM).
Below is an organized resource compilation made of a list of FOAM-resources grouped in mind maps, according to Buzan’ method (a method I also highly recommend for study, projects, notes etc.). The resources have been evaluated according to their Social Media Index.

FOCUSED FOAM

1. EM FUNDAMENTALS
2. CRITICAL CARE/RESUSCITATION
3. AIRWAY
4. ECG
5. ULTRASOUND
6. PROCEDURES
7. PHARMA/TOXICOLOGY
8. PEDIATRIC EM
9. EBM
10. EDUCATION
11. MINDSET & WELLNESS

1. EMERGENCY MEDICINE FUNDAMENTALS

2. CRITICAL CARE AND RESUSCITATION
The core of Emergency medicine. Each EM blog covers Critical Care; the following are sources built on Critical Care as the main the pillar.

3. AIRWAY
Scary movies in EM. How to increase your confidence on airway management and prepare yourself – not only your manual skills, but also your mind.

4. ECG
EM physicians should master ECG. The suggested sources will help you avoid ECG pitfalls where even experienced cardiologist may fail.

5. EMERGENCY ULTRASOUND
Want to increase your knowledge on emergency ultrasound? You can find several podcasts & videos that help you fill the gap.

6. PROCEDURES
field and can make the difference; you can see procedures indefinitely, appraise the method on learning (mental rehearsal).

7. PHARMACOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY
Rarely covered in the FOAM world, Toxicology is a fascinating field of EM, and few blogs focus on this niche and delve into secrets, pearls & pitfalls.

8. PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE
This is a big topic, rarely covered in the most resources, yet essential for all EPs dealing with children (with or without a fellowship in PEM).

Additional Site to Consider: Paediatric FOAMed [Link is HERE]

9. EBM (EVIDENCED BASED MEDICINE)
Virtually every EM blog reviews EM papers. In this section, we focused on EM sites specifically devoted to EBM.

10. EDUCATION
The mission of all generalist EM blogs (see the first part) is education where you can find immense material to improve your knowledge and/or skills. Here we report FOAM resources specifically dedicated to MedEd not only providing material to learn but also focusing on how to teach emergency care, together with some focused educational tracks offered by the main generalist FOAM resources.

11. MINDSET & WELLNESS
The poet Juvenales wrote 1900 years ago ‘Mens sana in corpore sano.’ This means that to be a good doctor you should also care for yourself. Many EM blogs now have a devoted section on EM mindset, smart productivity, and wellness.

Guest Post By:

References:

1. Brent Thoma et al. Five strategies to effectively use online resources in emergency medicine. Ann Emerg Med, 2014 vol. 64,pp. 392-395. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.05.029
2. Brent Thoma, Nikita Joshi, N. Seth Trueger, Teresa M. Chan and Michelle Lin. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2014; 64(4): 392 – 395) http://www.aemau.cuhk.edu.hk/index.php/home/educational-resources/
3. Christopher P Nickson Michael D Cadogan. Free Open Access Medical education (FOAM) for the emergency physician. Emerg Med Australasia 2014 26; Pages 76-83 http://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.12191
4. Peter Cameron et al. CJEM Debate Series: #SocialMedia. CJEM 2017, 19:471-474
5. Scott KR et al. Integration of Social Media in Emergency Medicine Residency Curriculum. Ann Emerg Med. 2014 Jun 21
6. Free Open Access Meducation (FOAM): the rise of emergency medicine and critical care blogs and podcasts (2002–2013). Emerg Med J 2014 Oct;31:e76-7.http://doi:10.1136/emermed-2013-203502
7. Don’t Call It Social Media: FOAM and the Future of Medical Education. Emergency Medicine News Feb 2013 doi: http://10.1097/01.EEM.0000427050.81739.a1

For More Thoughts on this Topic Checkout:

1. Mike Cadogan on LIFTL. http://lifeinthefastlane.com/emcc-blog-update-2016/
2. Salim Rezaie on Rebel EM. https://rebelem.com/got-foam/
3. Chris Nickson at Life in the Fastlane: FOAM http://lifeinthefastlane.com/foam/
4. EM Case Summary. With Rob Rogers, Ken Milne & Brent Thoma, Prepared by Claire Heslop, 2014
5. Chris Nickson at Life in the Fastlane: From Hippocrates to Osler to FOAM
6. Scott Weingart at EMCrit: The Online Hierarchy of Needs
7. Andy Neill at Emergency Medicine Ireland: Getting Started with FOAMed
8. Simon Carley at St. Emlyn’s: How to Incorporate #FOAMed into #MedEd
9. David Slessor at The Bottom Line: Keeping Up to Date with the Medical Literature
10. Justin Morgenstern at First 10 in EM: Lecture handout: Social Media in Medicine (University of Toronto Anesthesia and Surgery Faculty Development Day)
11. Andrew J. Tagg at Don’t Forget the Bubbles: The Sweet Bird of Truth
12. Chris Nickson at Life in the Fastlane: 10 Tips for FOAM Beginners

Post Peer Reviewed By: Jenny Beck-Esmay, MD (Twitter: @jbeckesmay)

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