Facebook as a tool for communication, collaboration, and informal knowledge exchange among members of a multisite family health team

Abstract

ObjectiveTo implement and evaluate a private Facebook group for members of a large Ontario multisite Family Health Team (FHT) to facilitate improved communication and collaboration.DesignProgram implementation and subsequent survey of team members.SettingA large multisite FHT in Toronto, Ontario.ParticipantsHealth professionals of the FHT.Main outcome measuresUsage patterns and self-reported perceptions of the Facebook group by team members.ResultsAt the time of the evaluation survey, the Facebook group had 43 members (37.4% of all FHT members). Activity in the group was never high, and posts by team members who were not among the researchers were infrequent throughout the study period. The content of posts fell into two broad categories: 1) information that might be useful to various team members and 2) questions posed by team members that others might be able to answer. Of the 26 team members (22.6%) who completed the evaluation survey, many reported that they never logged into the Facebook page (16 respondents), and never used it to communicate with team members outside of their own site of practice (19 respondents). Only six respondents reported no concerns with using Facebook as a professional communication tool; the most frequent concerns were regarding personal and patient privacy.ConclusionThe use of social media by health care practitioners is becoming ubiquitous. However, the issues of privacy concerns and determining how to use social media without adding to provider workload must be addressed to make it a useful tool in health care.

The use of virtual communities of practice to improve interprofessional collaboration and education: findings from an integrated review

“…Social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) 1 have been reported to provide an innovative and convenient way for users to communicate, establish and maintain connections with others based on their interests (Lofters, Slater, Nicholas Angl, & Leung, 2016). These network sites have become a popular choice for VCoPs due to their accessibility on multiple electronic devices allowing users to work more flexibly (Maisonneuve, Chambe, Lorenzo, & Pelaccia, 2015).…”

“…For example, it was reported that they have can disseminate health information, provide information on available local resources, publicise educational events, and receive feedback from colleagues. One of the included studies reported that over 24% of respondents used social media on a daily basis to explore clinical information (Lofters et al, 2016). The popularity of Facebook, in particular, was due to the fact that organisations can create both pages and groups, which can provide user analytics and also have stringent privacy settings.…”

“…Furthermore, LinkedIn has been reported as an effective means of continuing professional and interprofessional development due to a variety of different learning resources and information users post on a daily basis (Dong, Cheema, Samarasekera, & Rajaratnam, 2015). Other social networking sites specific to health care professionals have also emerged, including Doximity 2 a website for clinicians which allows them to connect with colleagues and earn continuing educational credits (Lofters et al, 2016).…”

“…However, a number of the papers note that ethical considerations must be considered when adopting social networks as a platform for VCoPs, including concerns over privacy and security (Barnett, Jones, Bennett, Iverson, & Bonney, 2013;Lofters et al, 2016). These considerations cover not only online security, but also the privacy of personal and patient information which may be shared on these networkselements which can create barriers to their use.…”

<p>Simulation-based education workshop: perceptions of participants</p>

“…1 Weller et al explained that simulations infuse a high degree of confidence among students before practicing on real patients. 14 It appears that simulation-based assessments can be used effectively, as stated by Ryall et al in their systematic review on simulation-based assessments in health-professional education 23 In their systematic review, Brydges et al concluded that simulation-based tools likely substituted work-based assessment of selected procedural skills. 24 Feedback is critical for effective learning in SBE and has a direct impact on learning.…”