Communities and resistance

During several recent editorials, we have covered the subject of online wound communities.1, 2 These have covered several attempts to create virtual online communities for those with the “wound passion.” Sadly, our community does not seem to want to engage, which is surprising as many participate in Facebook groups or LinkedIn groups.

Through several attempts, we tried to create truly interactive private communities focused on wounds and their prevention and treatment, and the sites provided a significant resource to all involved in the care of patients with wounds. Using proprietary software (www.electriceffect.com), these communities allowed members to not only communicate privately but also to exchange relevant documents and to share information. Included within the site was the ability to seamlessly viral market both content and news items from the community with other social media channels, such as Facebook and Twitter.

One of the common issues of peer‐to‐peer education and a multidisciplinary approach is continued contact and mentoring. The online community approach provides elements of mentoring and continued contact with the trained educators. The formal virtual private network (social) platform enhances connectivity and provides a vehicle to allow ongoing mentoring; peer‐to‐peer contact; and the feeling of being part of a multidisciplinary approach, even if only virtually.

In a world where many of us live our lives on social media or, at the very minimum, third party this interaction with our offspring, friends, or colleagues, we are constantly connected.

But alas, it appears that, as a wound community, we do not seem to want to connect on a professional basis. Why is this?

Health care providers are trained to interact with both colleagues and patients to enhance solitary medical knowledge and benefit from collective knowledge and experience. Patients are encouraged by medical professionals to share details about their ailments in a bid to make a diagnosis. Patients frequently trade information and stories in the clinical waiting room and, more recently, on social media.

As social media users, many of us are growing increasingly accustomed to sharing personal information online. Patients today are actively engaging online with other patients and family members regarding treatment, ailments, and other health‐related issues. This interaction needs to be harnessed to provide valuable feedback about treatment and services.

Patients and their families are actively engaging with technology to empower themselves in an unprecedented manner both socially and “professionally” (ie, simply to exchange knowledge and experience).

All of the above appear to be good reasons to have an online resource focused on wounds. So, we are trying again with the International Wound Community (www.internationalwoundcommunity.com). Let's engage and learn from each other and work together to drive the specialisation of our subject area.