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INFORMATION IN PRACTICE: Jill Russell, Trisha Greenhalgh, Petra Boynton, and Marcia Rigby Soft networks for bridging the gap between research and practice: illuminative evaluation of CHAIN BMJ 2004; 328: 1174 [Abstract] [Full text]

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On line learning networks

John E Sandars, Michele Langlois, Research Associate   (20 May 2004)

On line learning networks 20 May 2004
John E Sandars, Director of E Learning in Health Evidence for Population Health Unit, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL, Michele Langlois, Research Associate Send response to journal: Re: On line learning networks	This article highlights the importance of developing, and sustaining, on-line opportunities for healthcare professionals to share knowledge, especially the tacit aspects, and the value of an on-line medium that allows communication to occur "any time and any place". The number of messages that were posted is small (102) compared with the total membership (2800) and although the importance of "lurkers" is noted there is no indication of the extent to which this occurs. It seems that the main value of CHAIN has been responding to "cries for help". This is undoubtedly useful but there is little evidence to suggest that interactive discussion related to the topic has occurred. The concept of knowledge management recognises the importance of integrating tacit and explicit knowledge but it also emphasises that this needs to be an active process if the result is to be a change in practice. The real challenge is to create an on-line opportunity that replicates a good group discussion, accompanied by on-lookers (lurkers). Unfortunately, e-mail or bulletin boards are a poor medium to allow such meaningful discussions since it is difficult to follow the thread of the discussion when at least 100 messages can be posted related to one topic. The ideal medium is the use of a discussion board. Our experience has been in the development and evaluation of four on- line discussion boards for a variety of busy healthcare professionals. We have found that there is a high reluctance for people to engage in on-line discussions, although happy to exchange anecdote and basic information. Currently, many on-line opportunities are being created with the vision of allowing professionals to share knowledge in an attempt to increase learning and change in practice. Examples, include communities being developed on the National Electronic Library for Health (NELH) site and the National Health Service University (NHSU) site, in addition to continuing professional development sites, such as BMJLearning. An understanding of how we can maximise meaningful on-line discussions is essential if the potential is to be achieved. We would be delighted to hear from others interested in this aspect of research and development. Competing interests: We are involved in the development and evaluation of several on-line networks for various health care providers for which we have received funding