Towards addressing the opportunities and challenges of Web 2.0 for health and informatics.

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of Web 2.0 and Health 2.0, and so facilitate a widespread discussion of the nature of these concepts and their possible application within the health domain, and implications for health and biomedical informatics and for IMIA. METHODS: IMIA, the International Medical Informatics Association, has established a Web 2.0 Exploratory Taskforce to bring together interested individuals from within and outside IMIA to explore the nature and potential of Web 2.0 applications. The Taskforce aims to develop background materials and sample uses of Web 2.0 applications, so as to propose specific lines of action for the IMIA Board and General Assembly. This paper provides a brief overview of Web 2.0 and related concepts, and examples of general and health-specific Web 2.0 applications. Some examples of the issues, challenges and opportunities are introduced, to set the scene for a wider dialogue on if, how, and how best, IMIA, and the wider health and informatics communities, should use these new applications and approaches. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: This brief paper provides an introduction to, and overview of, the many issues involved in considering the application of Web 2.0 to health and informatics. All interested individuals and organisations are invited to use this as a starting point for engaging in wider discussion and contributing to the Taskforce and to IMIA's future.

Readiness of nurses for electronic networking for quality assessment and improvement.

Quality assessment and improvement (QAI) is a rapidly evolving component of health care. Its operationalization in clinical practice can be greatly enhanced by information sharing, best practice networking, and communication of experiences and resources. Nurses play a key role in both QAI and information sharing in this endeavor. Electronic communication supports the rapid sharing of QAI-related information across agencies to link nurses with a common interest in continuously improving the quality of health care delivery. It offers the opportunity to diminish the barrier of distance, which is especially relevant for nurses in rural areas. Before electronic communication was established as an information-sharing mechanism, however, the readiness of nurses in both rural and urban/suburban settings was assessed. A convenience sample of nurses in western New York, who were surveyed via written questionnaire regarding electronic communication, most often described their comfort in using this medium as uncertain. This finding supports the need for preliminary preparation focusing upon the skills and experience needed to utilize the computer as a communication medium.