Sharing of information between health care workers improves evidence dissemination and quality of care. One way to share information is through a community of practice (CoP), whereby members interact regularly towards a common goal. Advances in technology allow CoPs to exist virtually, removing the traditional barriers to information sharing. Virtual CoPs have been shown to be effective, but little is known about why health care workers choose to use them — warranting further investigation.
This exploratory research consisted of 86 participants and took place in partnership with Health Quality Ontario. At the time of data collection, the organization was developing a virtual CoP for those in health care to learn from one another about quality improvement.
The research utilized the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) — a theoretical model of persuasion that posits that one’s motivation and ability determines how information is processed — to guide the study of attitude formation. ELM distinguishes between Central Route information processing, whereby one is highly motivated and able and pays attention to argument quality, and Peripheral Route processing, whereby lower motivation and ability cause one to be persuaded by peripheral messaging cues. The sustainability of resulting attitudes is influenced by the route through which information is processed.
Higher motivation to use a virtual CoP was found to be more strongly correlated to the central route than peripheral route, as expected. Post-hoc analysis found that argument quality had the greatest overall influence on attitudes towards virtual CoPs, regardless of the user’s experience level with them. Users with more experience were also influenced by peripheral cues.
The chosen theoretical framework provided insight into the determinants of attitude formation, allowing for a better understanding of how to design and position a virtual CoP for those working in health care — a population yet to be studied through ELM. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people with a shared interest who regularly interact to share knowledge and increase their expertise. Virtual CoPs use information and communications technology to support these knowledge-sharing activities, and have been shown to effectively improve knowledge utilization, but researchers have not examined them from a health care practitioner point of view.
The present research aimed to explore the factors affecting how attitudes towards virtual CoPs are formed. The elaboration likelihood model was used to guide this study and suggests that a person’s motivation and ability determine the route through which they process information and form attitudes, leading to their intention to use the system. By understanding what influences attitudes, we can better understand how to design and position a virtual CoP for health care practitioners.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/21464 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Yada, Nicole |
| Contributors | Head, Milena, eHealth |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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