Content analysis of the Global Alliance for Nursing and Midwifery discussion forum: an online community of practice

Abstract

Objective: to examine the usage and content of the Global Alliance for Nursing and Midwifery (GANM) discussion forum in relation to nursing and midwifery education and practice. Method: a qualitative conventional content analysis was performed. Subject lines from 1689 discussion board threads were extracted and used as the unit of analysis. A-priori codes were developed based on topical relevance (e.g. maternal health) and typical discussion board usage (e.g. announcing educational opportunities). Emerging codes were further identified while coding the data (e.g. infectious diseases). Results: the GANM discussion forum was used most frequently for information exchange (43.8%), such as dissemination of new information on evidence-based practice, and to announce educational opportunities (24.8%). The most frequently discussed topics were nursing (14.2%; e.g. the role of nurses in primary care, nursing education, etc.) and maternal health (13.8%; e.g. postpartum care, maternal mortality, etc.). Infectious diseases were discussed in 9% of threads, 40% of which concerned the current coronavirus pandemic. Conclusion: findings reinforce the utility of the GANM as a platform for professional development and continuing education. As a platform for disseminating empirical research, the GANM can be leveraged to have an influence on real-world, evidence-based practice.

A commentary on the Pan American Network of Nursing and Midwifery Collaborating Centres

“…For example, PANMCC researchers published a number of jointly written articles in various high-ranking journals in 2021, including Lancet Global Health, Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, International Journal of Mental Health Nursing and BMC Nursing. The articles focused on studies related to nurse staffing and patient outcomes in Chile (7), an online community of practice for nurses and midwives (8), nursing students' attitudes regarding alcohol use in four countries ( 9) and academic service-learning nursing partnerships (10).…”