Virtual Communities of Practice for Health Care Professionals

2011 ◽  
pp. 3986-3991
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Hanlis ◽  
Jill Curley ◽  
Paul Abbass
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Social Process ◽  
Collective Inquiry ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Wenger is typically credited with the development of the metaphor of communities of practice where “learning requires an atmosphere of openness and the key is to build an atmosphere of collective inquiry” (Wenger, 1998). However, the focus of creating a sense of belonging as well as the formulation of knowledge as a social process is not as new. Rather, it can be found in the form of a learning community. Senge (1990) introduced this concept of the learning organization to explain strategies to enhance the capacity of members to consistently collaborate on mutual goals.

scholarly journals Attitudes Toward Health Care Virtual Communities of Practice: Survey Among Health Care Workers

10.2196/15176 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. e15176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Yada ◽  
Milena Head
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Attitude Formation ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Background Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) have been shown to be an effective means for knowledge and research uptake, but little is known about why health care workers choose to use them. The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) is a theoretical model of persuasion that distinguishes between different routes of information processing that influence attitude formation and change. To date, no research has investigated the antecedents to these processing routes for VCoPs within a health care setting. In understanding these determinants, VCoPs can be appropriately designed to increase their chances of use and value among health care professionals. Objective Our aim is to explore how motivation and ability affect attitudes toward using VCoPs for those working in health care. Methods Data were collected from 86 health care workers using an online survey at two Canadian health care conferences. Participants were shown a mock VCoP and asked about their perceptions of the online platform and related technologies. The survey instrument was developed based on previously validated scales to measure participants’ ability and motivation toward using a VCoP. Attitudes were assessed both at the beginning and end of the study; intention to use the platform was assessed at the end. Results Ability (expertise with CoPs and VCoPs) was found to directly affect intention to use the system (P<.001 and P=.009, respectively) as was motivation (P<.001). Argument quality had the greatest effect on formed attitudes toward VCoPs, regardless of the user’s level of experience (lower expertise: P=.04; higher expertise: P=.003). Those with higher levels of CoPs expertise were also influenced by peripheral cues of source credibility (P=.005 for attitude formation and intention to use the system) and connectedness (P=.04 for attitude formation; P=.008 for intention to use the system), whereas those with lower levels of CoP expertise were not (P>.05). A significant correlation between formed attitude and intention to use the VCoPs system was found for those with higher levels of expertise (P<.001). Conclusions This research found that both user ability and motivation play an important and positive role in the attitude toward and adoption of health care VCoPs. Unlike previous ELM research, evidence-based arguments were found to be an effective messaging tactic for improving attitudes toward VCoPs for health care professionals with both high and low levels of expertise. Understanding these factors that influence the attitudes of VCoPs can provide insight into how to best design and position such systems to encourage their effective use among health care professionals.

scholarly journals Attitudes Toward Health Care Virtual Communities of Practice: Survey Among Health Care Workers (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Yada ◽  
Milena Head
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Attitude Formation ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

BACKGROUND Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) have been shown to be an effective means for knowledge and research uptake, but little is known about why health care workers choose to use them. The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) is a theoretical model of persuasion that distinguishes between different routes of information processing that influence attitude formation and change. To date, no research has investigated the antecedents to these processing routes for VCoPs within a health care setting. In understanding these determinants, VCoPs can be appropriately designed to increase their chances of use and value among health care professionals. OBJECTIVE Our aim is to explore how motivation and ability affect attitudes toward using VCoPs for those working in health care. METHODS Data were collected from 86 health care workers using an online survey at two Canadian health care conferences. Participants were shown a mock VCoP and asked about their perceptions of the online platform and related technologies. The survey instrument was developed based on previously validated scales to measure participants’ ability and motivation toward using a VCoP. Attitudes were assessed both at the beginning and end of the study; intention to use the platform was assessed at the end. RESULTS Ability (expertise with CoPs and VCoPs) was found to directly affect intention to use the system (<italic>P</italic>&lt;.001 and <italic>P</italic>=.009, respectively) as was motivation (<italic>P</italic>&lt;.001). Argument quality had the greatest effect on formed attitudes toward VCoPs, regardless of the user’s level of experience (lower expertise: <italic>P</italic>=.04; higher expertise: <italic>P</italic>=.003). Those with higher levels of CoPs expertise were also influenced by peripheral cues of source credibility (<italic>P</italic>=.005 for attitude formation and intention to use the system) and connectedness (<italic>P</italic>=.04 for attitude formation; <italic>P</italic>=.008 for intention to use the system), whereas those with lower levels of CoP expertise were not (<italic>P</italic>&gt;.05). A significant correlation between formed attitude and intention to use the VCoPs system was found for those with higher levels of expertise (<italic>P</italic>&lt;.001). CONCLUSIONS This research found that both user ability and motivation play an important and positive role in the attitude toward and adoption of health care VCoPs. Unlike previous ELM research, evidence-based arguments were found to be an effective messaging tactic for improving attitudes toward VCoPs for health care professionals with both high and low levels of expertise. Understanding these factors that influence the attitudes of VCoPs can provide insight into how to best design and position such systems to encourage their effective use among health care professionals.

The Challenge of Evaluating Virtual Communities of Practice: A Systematic Mapping Study

10.28945/4505 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 039-064
Author(s):  
Rogerio Ferreira da Silva ◽  
Itana Maria de Souza Gimenes ◽  
José Carlos Maldonado
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Evaluation Methods ◽  
Systematic Mapping Study ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Systematic Mapping ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Selection Of

Aim/Purpose: This paper presents a study of Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP) evaluation methods that aims to identify their current status and impact on knowledge sharing. The purposes of the study are as follows: (i) to identify trends and research gaps in VCoP evaluation methods; and, (ii) to assist researchers to position new research activities in this domain. Background: VCoP have become a popular knowledge sharing mechanism for both individuals and organizations. Their evaluation process is complex; however, it is recognized as an essential means to provide evidences of community effectiveness. Moreover, VCoP have introduced additional features to face to face Communities of Practice (CoP) that need to be taken into account in evaluation processes, such as geographical dispersion. The fact that VCoP rely on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to execute their practices as well as storing artifacts virtually makes more consistent data analysis possible; thus, the evaluation process can apply automatic data gathering and analysis. Methodology: A systematic mapping study, based on five research questions, was carried out in order to analyze existing studies about VCoP evaluation methods and frameworks. The mapping included searching five research databases resulting in the selection of 1,417 papers over which a formal analysis process was applied. This process led to the preliminary selection of 39 primary studies for complete reading. After reading them, we select 28 relevant primary studies from which data was extracted and synthesized to answer the proposed research questions. Contribution: The authors of the primary studies analyzed along this systematic mapping propose a set of methods and strategies for evaluating VCoP, such as frameworks, processes and maturity models. Our main contribution is the identification of some research gaps present in the body of studies, in order to stimulate projects that can improve VCoP evaluation methods and support its important role in social learning. Findings: The systematic mapping led to the conclusion that most of the approaches for VCoP evaluation do not consider the combination of data structured and unstructured metrics. In addition, there is a lack of guidelines to support community operators’ actions based on evaluation metrics.

scholarly journals Virtual communities of practice to improve clinical outcomes in healthcare: protocol for a 10-year scoping review

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e046998
Author(s):  
Louise Shaw ◽  
Dana Jazayeri ◽  
Debra Kiegaldie ◽  
Meg Morris
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Falls Prevention ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Online Databases ◽  
Relevant Stakeholder ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

IntroductionVirtual communities of practice (VCoPs) use a common online platform to provide healthcare professionals with the opportunity to access highly specialised knowledge, build a professional support network and promote the translation of research evidence into practice. There is limited reporting of how best to design and administer VCoPs within healthcare organisations. The primary aim of this scoping review is to identify the best methods used to establish and maintain VCoPs. Findings shall be used to develop a flexible framework to guide the establishment and facilitation of a VCoP for healthcare professionals to ensure the translation of falls prevention clinical guidelines into practice.Methods and analysisA five-stage scoping review process will be followed based on Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and refined by the Joanna Briggs Institute Methodology. An initial limited search of PubMed and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature will identify relevant studies and assist with search term development. This will be followed by a search of five online databases to identify papers published from January 2010 until November 2020. Papers will be independently screened by two reviewers, and data extracted and analysed using a reporting framework. Qualitative data will be analysed thematically and numerical synthesis of the data will be conducted.Results and disseminationThe results of this scoping review will highlight the best ways to design and manage VCoPs in healthcare organisations. The findings will be presented at relevant stakeholder workshops, conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.

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