Fostering an Internet-based work group in community health through action research

Area of Science:

• Community Health Research
• Health Services Management
• Educational Technology

Background:

• A two-year community health research training program in Alberta, Canada, aimed to integrate Internet-based technologies.
• The program involved participants from seventeen health regions, requiring a distributed work group structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To incorporate Internet-based technology into a health research training program.
• To establish and foster a distributed work group over the program's duration.
• To identify and reflect on lessons learned from implementing this technology and group structure.

Main Methods:

• An action research methodology was employed.
• Data collection involved diverse sources: program documents, interviews, surveys, meeting notes, online discussions, usage logs, site visits, and evaluation reports.
• Content analysis using NUD*IST software was performed on collected data.

Main Results:

• Role clarification was crucial for group cohesion and function.
• Facilitative support and strong network linkages were identified as essential components.
• Workplace learning emerged as a significant factor in the group's development and value creation.

Conclusions:

• Fostering Internet-based work groups in health settings requires attention to role clarity, support, and networking.
• Continuous learning and mutual support enable members to find meaning and add organizational value.
• The study provides insights into effectively managing distributed teams in health research training.