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Practical Considerations in Building an Electronic Community of Practice for Health Care: Lessons from the Literature

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Technology Enabled Knowledge Translation for eHealth

Part of the book series: Healthcare Delivery in the Information Age ((Healthcare Delivery Inform. Age))

Abstract

This chapter explores the various factors and decisions to be made regarding the development and support of online collaboration tools for facilitation of communication and learning between practicing health professionals. A literature review was conducted to identify best practices for the establishment, maintenance, support, and sustainment of electronic communities of practice (eCoPs). Following a discussion of the findings, an investigation into the available and appropriate technological options for building an eCoP was identified and is provided. This overview addresses the following dimensions of eCoP development: cost, data storage protocols, development requirements, and feature sets. A comparison between, and snapshots summarizing, platforms selected as general examples are also included as an appendix.

This chapter is based on a report to the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council on the potential role of online collaboration for care improvement. It is with their generous funding that this research was conducted.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. eHealth Strategy Office, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 855 West 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1L7, Canada

    Kevin McCartney B.A. (Hons.), Daniel Hooker MLIS, Jennifer Cordeiro B.A.A. (Hons.), Helen Novak Lauscher Ph.D. & Kendall Ho M.D., FRCPC

Authors
  1. Kevin McCartney B.A. (Hons.)
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  2. Daniel Hooker MLIS
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  3. Jennifer Cordeiro B.A.A. (Hons.)
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  4. Helen Novak Lauscher Ph.D.
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  5. Kendall Ho M.D., FRCPC
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin McCartney B.A. (Hons.) .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, West 10th Ave. #202-855, Vancouver, V5Z 1L7, British Columbia, Canada

    Kendall Ho

  2. , eHealth Strategy Office, University of British Columbia, #202-855 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, V5Z 1L7, British Columbia, Canada

    Sandra Jarvis-Selinger

  3. , eHealth Strategy Office, University of British Columbia, #202-855 West 10th A, Vancouver, V5Z 1L7, British Columbia, Canada

    Helen Novak Lauscher

  4. , eHealth Strategy Office, University of British Columbia, #202-855 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, V5Z 1L7, British Columbia, Canada

    Jennifer Cordeiro

  5. , Health Sciences Centre, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, T2N 4N1, Alberta, Canada

    Richard Scott

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McCartney, K., Hooker, D., Cordeiro, J., Lauscher, H.N., Ho, K. (2012). Practical Considerations in Building an Electronic Community of Practice for Health Care: Lessons from the Literature. In: Ho, K., Jarvis-Selinger, S., Novak Lauscher, H., Cordeiro, J., Scott, R. (eds) Technology Enabled Knowledge Translation for eHealth. Healthcare Delivery in the Information Age. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3495-5_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3495-5_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-3494-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-3495-5

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