Online communities of practice to support collaborative mental health practice in rural areas.
The provision of quality mental health services in rural areas continues to be an ongoing challenge for nurses and the patients they serve. The use of computer mediated communication to construct collaborative learning environments similar to those suggested in Wenger's community of practice framework has the potential to mitigate a number of the difficulties faced by rural health care providers. The author presents a brief discussion of social learning theories, the communities of practice framework, and related concepts. Examples of current online communities of practice used as a means for knowledge construction in various professional disciplines are presented in building the case for the fit between online communities of practice and the needs of nurses in rural mental health. Nurses providing mental health care in rural areas have documented needs for interdisciplinary teamwork, access to a collaborative learning environment, and ongoing contact with expert resources. The construction of online communities of practice could potentially address a multitude of concerns identified by nurses practicing mental health care in rural areas.
College of Nursing, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA. laurelcassidy@gmail.com
Laurel
L
Cassidy
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015399:Nursing Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D009862:Online Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012934:Social Isolation; D012944:Social Support