Abstract
BackgroundThousands of health-related online discussion groups are active world-wide however, very little is known about the purpose and usefulness of such groups. In 2003 an online discussion group called ‘forensic occupational therapy’ was established in the United Kingdom. This group was examined to gain an understanding of the purpose and use of online discussion groups for health professionals who may be practically and geographically isolated from others in similar areas of practice.MethodsFollowing a case study design, descriptive characteristics on members’ locations and number of posts were collected from the forensic occupational therapy online discussion group. Eight years of posts (2003–2011) were examined using a theoretical thematic analysis process to identify and describe the purposes for which members were using the group.ResultsMembers from 20 countries contributed to the discussion group; the vast majority of posts being from members in the United Kingdom. Activity within the group was consistently high for the first five years however, activity within the group declined in the final three years. Six purposes for which members use the online discussion group were identified: seeking and giving advice, networking, requesting and sharing material resources, service development, defining the role of occupational therapists, and student learning.ConclusionsFindings suggest that health professionals in specialized and often isolated areas of practice are keen to connect with colleagues and learn from each other’s experiences. The main purposes for which the online discussion group was used could be summarized as communication, information sharing and networking; though activity within the group declined significantly during the last three years of the data collection period. This raises questions about the sustainability of online discussion groups within the rapidly developing social media environment.
Highlights
The process of globalization has rapidly increased over the last two decades and the flow of people, ideas, culture and technology is increasingly integrated
The forensic occupational therapy online discussion group was selected as a single case example representing a point of convergence for occupational therapists who tend to be quite isolated from other occupational therapists in similar practice settings
This study investigated the use of the forensic occupational therapy on-line discussion group [1], which used Yahoo Groups as its platform, as a case study for the use of social media for healthcare professionals who work in small or isolated groups
Summary
The process of globalization has rapidly increased over the last two decades and the flow of people, ideas, culture and technology is increasingly integrated. While members were not required to submit posts, ‘lurkers’ – that is those people who read the list and do not contribute to discussion – were a growing proportion of the membership and were considered a problem, as they did not aid in the development of the group. This was a resource for the ‘lurking’ members, this resulted in a core group of practitioners ‘taking over,’ which was a concern for some members
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