IFMH
Inform Volume 18, Number 1
Click here to download the full issue (pdf
file)
CONTENTS:
Connecting one to many: responding to the challenge
John Sandars, Senior Lecturer in Community Based
Education, Medical Education Unit, The University of Leeds
Knowledge sharing and learning in
healthcare organisations has been driven by the vision of
communities of practice. This has major design implications since
creating a sense of community requires high mutual engagement and
recent research suggests that this is difficult to achieve,
especially online. The reality is that intensional personal
networks are used by individuals to create dynamic social networks
than can respond more effectively to complex environments. New
technology, such as blogs and social bookmark software, allow
large personal networks to be effectively managed.
Dissemination - Whose
responsibility is it anyway?
Laura Blake, Director of Communications,
National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (NPCRDC),
University of Manchester
This paper
describes attempts to disseminate health services research
evidence from a Department of Health funded, academically-based
policy research unit, to non-academic audiences of health care
professionals, managers and policy makers. Examples and learning
points are provided from practical experience. The paper also
discusses the question of who should be responsible for
dissemination and how theoretical models measure up to the
practice of a rapidly changing organizational environment.
Blogging for
Networking and Outreach
Anne Welsh, Information Officer, DrugScope,
and Christine Goodair, Programme Manager, International Centre for
Drugs Policy, St George’s Hospital Medical School, University of
London
This
article outlines networking and outreach activities resulting from
the setting up of the DrugScope Information Service blog, DrugData
Update. The authors conclude that blogging has provided staff
development opportunities both online and real-world, and, having
observed that drugs workers are hesitant about using social
software to discuss issues publicly, assert the paramount
importance of meeting the client group’s information needs.
‘Social libraries’ – that make use of Web 2.0 technologies, to
encourage user participation – are a hot topic at the moment. In
the context of this paper we use the term “Web 2.0 technologies”
simply to denote features such as blogging, wikis, social
bookmarking and virtual communities. This article reflects on the
social networking opportunities with which we have been presented
since launching our information service blog two years ago.
CHAIN: A
virtual community to share experience, ideas and aspirations
David Evans, Director,
CHAIN
CHAIN is a
multi-professional mutual support network of more than 4,000
members, mostly working in the NHS. The network began 10 years
ago as part of the NHS Research and Development programme as a
means of connecting research with practice. It has twice been
evaluated and found to be of significant value to members.
Recently the CHAIN model of ‘low-tech, light touch’ networking has
been applied more widely, and CHAIN now includes communities
focusing on Research, Innovation & Improvement, Learning, and
Macmillan Cancer Care. Sister networks exist in Canada, Australia
and Ireland, forming an international pool of tacit knowledge and
mutual support. Information specialists are influential members
of CHAIN, and a change in the nature of questions broadcast by
members over the past decade illustrates altered perceptions as to
the accessibility of evidence. CHAIN membership is free, the IT
and 2.5 person workforce being funded by a consortium of 10
supporters including the National Institute for Health Research,
NHS Institute for Innovation & Improvement, The Health Foundation,
and the Department of Health.
IFM Healthcare News Maria J Grant, Chair, Information
for the Management of Healthcare (IFMH)
IFMH Committee meeting: 29th
March 2007: digest of minutes
Suzanne Wilson, Secretary, Information for the Management of
Healthcare (IFMH)
Networking:
Resource Guide
Richard Bridgen, Knowledge and Informatics Librarian, Lincolnshire Health Information and Library
Service
Surf's Up - Internet sites of interest
Anthea
Sutton, Information Officer (Reviews and Special Projects), SCHARR,
and Caron Hartley, Research Librarian, King's Fund Information and
Library Service
Sidelines
Julie
Glanville, Su Golder, Kate Light, and Lindsey Myers, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination,
University of York
Social Care
Institute for Excellence (SCIE) Update
Sue Jardine, Information Manager, Social Care
Institute for Excellence
National
Library for Health Update
Colin Davies, Manager - National Service Framework,
National Library for Health
NLH Management News Tim Judkins, Information
Specialist, NLH Health Management Specialist Library
Health Management
Specialist Library Management Briefing 07/03: Managing long term
conditions
Compiled by Julia Florin To receive regular copies
of IFMH Inform, please see the information on
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Please note: Many Inform articles contain links
to web pages. These links were active at the date of publication
but IFMH cannot guarantee to maintain links to pages which have
subsequently moved or ceased to exist. |
