Building a virtual network in a community health research training program

Objective: To describe the experiences, lessons, and implications of buildi ng a virtual network as part of a two-year community health research traini ng program in a Canadian province. Design: An action research field study in which 25 health professionals fro m 17 health regions participated in a seven-week training course on health policy, management, economics, research methods, data analysis, and compute r technology. The participants then returned to their regions to apply the knowledge in different community health research projects. Ongoing faculty consultations and support were provided as needed. Each participant was giv en a notebook computer with the necessary software, Internet access, and te chnical support for two years, to access information resources, engage in g roup problem solving, share ideas and knowledge, and collaborate on project s. Measurements: Data collected over two years consisted of program documents, records of interviews with participants and staff, meeting notes, computer usage statistics, automated online surveys, computer conference postings, program Web site, and course feedback. The analysis consisted of detailed r eview and comparison of the data from different sources, NUD*IST was then u sed to validate earlier study findings. Results: The ten key lessons are that role clarity, technology vision, impl ementation staging, protected time, just-in-time training, ongoing facilita tion, work integration, participatory design, relationship building, and th e demonstration of results are essential ingredients for building a success ful network. Conclusion: This study provides a descriptive model of the processes involv ed in developing, in the community health setting, virtual networks that ca n be used as the basis for future research and as a practical guide for man agers.