1. CONNECTGPR
Coast city country ONline Network for an Educational Community of Training for GP Registrars
A Case Study

2. Background Role of Online Communities
Effect on Isolation and Knowledge Sharing
What works: Community, THEN technology
Framework: Barnett BMC Family Practice 2012
Pilot Study: ConnectGPR
What is the role of online communities?
Specifically, what effect do they have? Literature review (published 2012), main potential benefits. Trainees can be professionally isolated and have decreased ability to share knowledge with peers as they have fewer professional interactions (c/w hospital med)
How do you build an online community that works? The focus is on Community first, THEN technology.
The most useful learning theory that applies is Communities of Practice. Master and Apprentice learning (wenger), shared Domain (eg gaining medical knowledge in primary care, community- GPRs, practice- the practice of medicine)
Next technology- ease of use, ease of access, ‘opt-in’, security.
This information built into a Framework recently published on building virtual communities of practice
Series of studies testing these concepts (previously presented and awaiting publication)-> last one a pilot study on an online community for GPR training

3. The Case: Participants
All GPT1 CCCGPT
2 LTG intervention, 1 LTG control
4 moderators, 2 experts
All GPT1s in CCGPT Jan-July 2012
Voluntary enrolment
2 LTGs intervention (enrol): Illawarra/SH and Murrumbidgee 1 LTG control (ACT)
4 moderators (GP supervisors/educators

4. The Case: The Intervention
Support for GPStart via online community
Cover 15 topics over 6 months
Weekly webchats with facilitator
Forums with cases
Shared resources
Weekly newsletter

5. The Case: The Platform
Secure
Easy
Invite only
Ning- online solution

6. Usage 26/32 GPT1 enrolled (response rate 81%) 26 weeks (Jan-Jul 2012)
38 unique visitors/week
Average 4.4 page views/visit
4377 page views total
Activity is centrally driven
Newsletter
Activities
Postings

7. Usage stats

8. Webchat

9. Webchats Weekly webchats: 18 webchats (full logs)
1-5 GPT1 attendees per week (mean=3), 1-4 moderators (mean=2)
Diabetes lifestyle mx:“This is my daily nightmare”……. “I will try this”
Barriers: time, timing and reminders
“I need to remind myself … I keep missing it”
“We usually have a meeting at that time”

10. Forum, Resources, Video, Photo
Forums: 16 Categories: GPStart and “Off Topic”
58 topics
Replies: Total = 79, mean = 1.36 (0-12)
Views: Total = 1085, mean = (4-67)
Resources: 19 resources, 177 views (mean= 9.8)
Videos: 4 (humorous), 58 views (mean= 13)
Photos: 8 cases, 123 views (mean= 13.67)

11. “I think it should continue
“I think it should continue. It allows us to easy access to knowledge from our educators, colleagues. It covers useful, training relevant subjects and is so interactive”
“I think it should continue.
It allows us to know what other registrars are doing, so that we learn from each other and from our educators.
It makes me feel connected to my peers, not isolated in one practice. The links are very useful.
It makes me feel supported if I have any questions or difficult cases, I know I will always get a replay from someone”

12. Limitations:
Accurate views
Authors as moderators
Self selection bias
Future Research:
Full evaluation
Nature of effective content